Understanding EN 15154: A Part by Part Guide to the Emergency Shower and Eyewash Standard

EN15154 Part 1 and Part 2 were reissued in December 2025, replacing 2006 editions. All conflicting national standards were to be withdrawn by June 2026. In light of this change it would be a good idea for us to refresh the idea and arrangement for the six parts of EN 15154. 

The most frequent question that is asked while deciding the selection of appropriate emergency equipment  is which part applies to my installation? It understandable to be unsure about this, because the six parts are not divided the way most people expect them to be. They are not split by product type alone. They are split by two questions: is the equipment connected to a water supply and is it installed into a laboratory or somewhere else? 

Use Unicare’s guide to understand the standard and answer these two questions so you can zero down on the applicable Part easily. 

How Is the Standard Organised?

Two questions decide everything.

1. Is it plumbed in? 
   • Parts 1, 2, 5 and 6 cover equipment permanently connected to a water supply. 
   • Parts 3 and 4 cover self-contained units that carry their own flushing fluid.
2. Is it a laboratory?
   • Part 1 covers laboratory body showers. 
   • Parts 5 and 6 cover body showers everywhere else. Eyewash units are the exception to this split 
   • Part 2 covers the plumbed-in eyewash unit and Part 4 covers the non plumbed-in one, and both apply for laboratory and non-laboratory sites. 

Part 1: Plumbed-in Body Showers for Laboratories

This part covers body showers installed in Laboratories. The 2025 edition requires the manufacturer to specify a pressure and ensure a corresponding constant flow for at least fifteen minutes. The pressure is measured at the point where the shower connects to the water system. A minimum of 60 l/min is suggested by the standard for cases where no national or local regulation applies. In practice a national rule usually does apply – e.g in Germany, TRGS 526 and DGUV Information 213-850 set 30 l/min for laboratory showers. 

Part 1 is however very specific about the spray pattern and recommends an elaborate measurement - at 700mm below the shower head 50% (+/- 10%) of the flow should be within 200mm radius from centre of the shower head and total 95% water should be within 400mm radius. 

The DIN version of standard appeals to be sensitive about environmental impact and suggests continual improvement throughout the design and manufacturing processes and business operations to lessen the impact on the local and global environment by conserving energy, water and other natural resources; reducing waste generation; recycling; and reducing the use of toxic materials.

Part 2 – Plumbed-in Eyewash Units

All plumbed eyewash units come under purview of Part 2 irrespective of where they are installed. 

The standard fixes the flow rates at 6 l/min per nozzle – ‘per nozzle, not per unit’, for fifteen minutes. This subtly puts the emphasis on balancing the water flow through a better design that ensures both eyes are irrigated evenly and the water flow is not dominated through one of the two nozzles.

The standard also confirms an acceptable flow pattern height between 100 to 300mm from the nozzles mounted 1000 mm (+/- 200mm) above the surface the user stands on and at least 150mm offset from nearest wall. Interestingly the standard recognises need to have a ‘headroom’ clearance and defines free access dimensions to be 800mm wide and 2000mm tall. 

Nozzle covers have to come away as part of the act of opening the valve, and not as a separate action, because a person with a chemical in their eyes is not going to manage a separate action.

The valve must reach full flow within a second and stay open on its own once released. 

Interestingly the standard mandates Self Draining of section of pipe between the valve and the eyewash nozzles. 

Part 3 – Non Plumbed-in Body Showers

Compared to the rest of the series Part 3 addresses unique products - self-contained showers holding a flushing fluid, necessitating them to be treated as ‘medical devices’ complying to marking as per EN 1041 and EN 980 and sterility to EN 556 where the unit holds a solution rather than plain water 

The standard classifies equipment by how and if they can be moved and sets a minimum water volume for each type: 

• Fixed Showers - 100 litres 
• Showers transportable on wheels - 15 litres 
• Portable Showers weighing less than 15kg - 10 litres 

All showers of this nature must be activated within five seconds. 

The standard mandates possibility of temporary stoppage post activation to conserve the flushing fluid. 

The manufacturer must demonstrate equivalent efficacy if the units are filled with solutions other than water in quantity lesser than what’s specified in the standard. Any single-use product should have a tamper-evident seals on it. The expiry date or refilling date must be appropriately marked in compliance with EN 1041 and EN 980.

Part 4 – Non Plumbed-in Eyewash Units

In this part the standard extends same thinking as in Part 3 to eye irrigation and covers applications where plumbing is impractical. 

The standard recognises – 

• Transportable Eyewash (manual or on wheels) – no specification for flushing fluid volume
• Portable Eyewash – must have mass less than 2 kg, allow one hand grip, should contain 400ml of water or flushing fluid of equivalent efficacy 
• Personal Eyewash Units – can be carried in a pocket or holster and must hold 150 ml of water or flushing fluid of equivalent efficacy

The functional requirement expects operability within five seconds, with one hand, and with the eyes closed. 

The products have to be labelled in compliance with EN 1041 and EN 980.

Part 5 – Water Overhead Body Showers for Sites Other Than Laboratories

This part deals with the industrial body showers which are permanently connected to water source or equipped with a storage tank which is intermittently connected to water source. 

There are three classes, defined by the overhead volume flow rate for at least 15 mins operation – 

• Class I: 30 to 60 l/min, 
• Class II: > 60 and up to 100l/min, 
• Class III: >100 l/min. 

The class is arrived at through a risk assessment, and it must be stamped on the permanent marking of the unit along with the manufacturer's details. In addition to the flow rate the standard confirms installation offsets and other dimensions. 

Part 5 also carries the equipment that the other parts do not: showers fed from a storage tank, trailer-mounted units, and combinations with an eyewash or a hand-held shower. Tank showers must be built to withstand wind and snow loading under the Eurocodes. For a combination unit, the body shower and the eyewash must each hold their rated flow when both are running at the same time.

Part 6 – Plumbed-in Multiple Nozzle Body Showers for Sites Other Than Laboratories

The last part deals with Multiple Nozzle units, at sites other than laboratories, permanently connected with water source. 

The water flow rate should be at least 60 l/min and the overall spray pattern should comply with the test method specified.  

Common guidance to all parts 

EN 15154 is a product specification. It describes what a device must deliver on a test rig. It does not tell you anything about risk assessment or how many units you should install. 

Each part however offer a guidance in an informative annexure suggestion to install the units within 20 metres from the hazard with no stairs or obstacles in between, or under ten seconds to reach it; water held between 15 °C and 37 °C and ideally between 20 °C and 25 °C; testing at commissioning and at least monthly thereafter. 

Conclusion

EN 15154 is a well-constructed set of documents, but it answers a narrower question than most people assume it does. It tells you whether a device is fit for purpose. It does not, on its own, tell you whether your installation is compliant. That second question is answered by the correct part of EN 15154 read alongside the national regulation that applies where the equipment is installed.

Unicare’s EWSS range factors in the relevant EN standards at the core of the product-development process, using their requirements as a benchmark for performance, testing and design.

References

1. EN 15154-1:2025, Emergency safety showers – Part 1: Plumbed-in body showers for laboratories
2. EN 15154-2:2025, Emergency safety showers – Part 2: Plumbed-in eyewash units
3. EN 15154-3:2009, Emergency safety showers – Part 3: Non plumbed-in body showers
4. EN 15154-4:2009, Emergency safety showers – Part 4: Non plumbed-in eyewash units
5. EN 15154-5:2019, Emergency safety showers – Part 5: Water overhead body showers for sites other than laboratories
6. TRGS 526, Laboratories (Technical Rules for Hazardous Substances, Germany)
7. DGUV Information 213-850, Safe working in laboratories (Germany)