Page 42 - Occupational Health & Safety, October 2019

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE
Best of Both Worlds: A New Hybrid Gas Monitoring System is Making Strides
New gas detection solution combines wireless and fixed elements, allowing technicians to work from the safety of ground level to maintain gas detectors and create compliance reports on the fly. BY MIKE HOLMES
There are two very good reasons why putting Bluetooth-enabled smart phones with spe- cialized apps in the hands of a technician can be a great time-saver and efficiency-booster when it comes to managing an effective gas detection/ life safety program.
For one, it gives the worker the comfort, conve- nience and security of interrogating and maintaining gas detectors from ground level instead of relying on ladders or lifts to access equipment in hazardous or hard-to-reach areas. Second, it allows them to create safety records right then and there instead of spend- ing hours afterward crunching numbers in the office.
The use of wireless connectivity in gas detectors has become well-established in the past few years, par- ticularly with portable instrumentation. However, a new breed of detector configuration has emerged, one that pairs fixed-install gas detectors with a Bluetooth- enabled smart phone (or intrinsically safe phone for classified areas) and app.
This new hybrid gas monitoring solution allows one to wirelessly interrogate a gas detector within a 32-foot, or 10-meter, radius. It also hosts AES encryption for security against malicious activities to perform a variety of maintenance tasks on the detector such as commissioning, diagnostic checks and calibration—all from the convenience and safety of terra firma.
Here’s how the scheme works: the gas detector is hard-wired to a controller, but the smart phone pro- vides wireless connectivity to the detector, becoming, in effect, both a remote display and operational ex- tension of the detector. Because the apps are created to look and feel like other consumer apps in use, the interface is easy to understand, navigate and manage.
This new arrangement is of particular value to petrochemical plants, gas processing and other indus- trial sites including office and laboratory areas where workers carry out tasks remotely or must negotiate physical obstacles to get to the detector to commis- sion, troubleshoot and calibrate it. Machinery, pipes and distillation columns often force plant workers to carry out these essential maintenance tasks in awk- ward positions, and these installations are typically located at-height that requires fall protection.
Location, Location, Location
The truism of heeding location as the most important element in choosing real estate applies to the case of a gas monitoring/life safety systems. It is imperative that gas monitors be positioned in the pathway or proximity of an accidental gas release. Most flam- mable gases, like natural gas, are lighter than air and will rise, which means that gas sensors often must be positioned at-height. Other gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, are heavier than air and tend to travel along the ground. Knowing where to place detectors for reli-
38 Occupational Health & Safety | OCTOBER 2019
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