The standard specifies distance. Behaviour decides whether the distance is real - especially when the person is blind, panicking and in pain.
Electrolyte splash is a chemistry problem before it is an equipment problem. The right bowl material and the right response protocol differ by battery type.
The laboratory standard does not restate the eyewash rule - it refers to it. That reference is where most lab compliance arguments start and end.
The rule sounds simple - corrosive materials need eyewash. In practice the decision comes from the SDS, not the label, and one acid needs a protocol of its own.
The unit passes its weekly flow test and still delivers brown water. Water quality is a separate problem from flow, and tepid systems make it worse.