Page 49 - Occupational Health & Safety, August 2017

rush in to save him or her? Our gut reaction is to save those we care for; it’s our nature.
What if you had the ability to call for help and, because of the gas detection device, you could give first responders an early indi- cation of the danger that awaits them? A device that not only sends gas alarm data, but also includes helpful information such as who was in trouble and their location, leads to a faster, more intelligent plan of response. With peer-to-peer wireless and Bluetooth bea- cons combined with the latest wireless personal and area gas moni- tors that communicate with one another, your chance of survival drastically improves.
The Value of Early Warnings
Your team members in a peer-to-peer wireless group can be imme- diately aware of the gas alarms or non-gas hazards detected by your personal instrument or the group can be notified of a possible gas leak from the fence line you established with the wireless area moni- tor you placed before the work commenced that day.
The data collected by the gas detector is intended to identify hazards that are dangerous to your health and potentially life threatening. If your safety manager is able to identify and correct a faulty process because of an instrument you were wearing and it made your workplace safer for everyone, what possible argument do you have against that? If you are in trouble and press the Panic Button or the Man-down Alarm is activated on your instrument after you fall and are knocked unconscious, why wouldn’t you want someone to respond as fast as possible?
If the co-worker who happens to be your brother, the best man at your wedding, and the godfather to your children suddenly falls due to a gas exposure, wouldn’t you want responders to know as much as possible so they know how to safely rescue him?
Placing the shoe on the other foot, so to speak, let’s talk about management’s role. It is the responsibility of team leaders to en- sure that safety professionals have the tools necessary to protect themselves while also following proper policies and procedures. Workers need to trust and believe that leaders are looking out for their safety.
Taking action on the hazards found is a quick way to earn that trust. Use the data that the gas detector is collecting and have con- versations with those using the detectors. Teach them. Encourage them. Help them understand.
Everyone has someone counting on him or her to make it home at the end of the day. Maybe it’s a spouse or parent, or maybe your children. If data collected by gas detectors can help make the work- place safer so all employees make it home to their families, some- one needs to be watching your back—and you should feel better knowing they are.
Jason Fry serves as Gas Detection Professional, Training at Indus- trial Scientific Corporation.
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AUGUST 2017 | Occupational Health & Safety 43
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