Page 31 - Occupational Health & Safety, January 2018

in oil drilling and refining, or infrared sensors that can directly mea- sure carbon dioxide or methane.
The number of sensor configurations is large; however, safe- ty managers are able to tailor their selection to best suit their workers’ needs.
Opt for Durability
Detectors that are more resilient are more likely to have a longer lifespan and thus lead to lower long-term costs. However, it’s also crucial for safety managers to consider whether the portable gas detector material is suited for the wear-and-tear of their unique workplace environment. For example, if an environment is threat- ened by special gases such as hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen chlo- ride, or hydrogen fluoride (all of which are particularly hard to de- tect because they adsorb to different surfaces), consider using a gas detector with an open gas inlet. This feature can prevent adsorbing surfaces from coming between the detector and the gas that is be- ing detected to ensure workers’ safety.
Assess the Accessories
Oftentimes, incorporating accessories to portable gas detectors can prove to be handy for many safety managers and help them tailor their safety devices to fit their specific workplaces. For ex- ample, motorized pumps can be attached in order to allow work- ers to use their portable gas detectors both as diffusion (which utilizes natural air currents to bring the sampled atmosphere into the instrument) and sample-draw (which mechanically draws the
atmosphere into the detector for sampling) instruments. Pumps are particularly useful for reaching ambient atmospheres in inac- cessible places such as tanks, channels, or shafts.
Keeping a Record
Beyond identifying and alerting workers about the presence of gas- es, consider whether data logging features are important to daily operations. Most devices with data logging retain monitoring in- formation whenever they are turned on. Oftentimes in the event of an accident or unusual incident, this can provide useful snapshots of conditions at the time of the event. It also proves to be helpful for calibration and bump tests because most data logging instru- ments automatically update and store calibration information such as dates.
If devices operate both via diffusion and sample-draw modes (especially in the case of a pump attachment), safety managers may consider using instruments that make it possible to differentiate between measurements taken with or without the pump attached.
Whether they’re working in oil & gas or on a plant in the chemical, pharma, or other industry, safety managers are always looking to best maximize their workers’ safety. By tailoring their devices to fulfill the demands and requirements of their applica- tions, safety managers can move one step closer to achieving their goal.
Larry Medina is the product portfolio marketing manager for portable gas detection devices in North America at Draeger.
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