Page 26 - OHS, June 2020

IH: GAS DETECTION
As connectivity continues transform workplace
safety, it unlocks great potential for innovation.
site. If a worker enters the area and her or his device has not been added to the network yet, what happens during a gas exposure? The same is true for workers who may be out of range of the area moni- tor. To cover the key areas of a facility or site, several networks may need to be deployed and maintained by personnel.
One critical limitation of mesh networks is the number of pos- sible “network hops.” By design, mesh networks route data pack- ets throughout the network to ensure that each device shares a common understanding of the overall site status. Every data packet is communicated from one device to the next, to the next and the next. The unfortunate problem is that, for practical networking rea- sons, there’s a limit to the number of “hops” that a data packet is allowed. Each data message cannot be allowed to hop through the network indefinitely. Plus, what happens to the network if one area monitor is moved that was acting as a relay, connecting two groups of other devices? The network is broken into two pieces that no longer communicate, and alerts may be lost, regardless to the num- ber of allowable hops.
To put this in context, consider this: if an area monitor gener- ates an alert, that alert will hop from the first area monitor through the mesh network. Putting aside the device limit, range limits and the fact that mesh networks may unexpectedly become fragment- ed, the important question is what happens when the alert reaches its hop limit? It is deleted. Some mesh networks support as few as three hops with others support up to eight hops, but the result is the same when the limit is reached. In this digital age, technol- ogy designed with limitations cause uncertainty and potentially leave workers completely unaware of a potentially deadly situation.
The Power of Full Visibility
Cloud-connected area gas monitors that utilize high-speed, high- capacity cellular networks will set a new standard for how health and safety professionals monitor their environments for unsafe levels of gas. The availability of cellular and satellite wireless net- works delivers true global coverage so that companies never have to worry about the above limitations. This gives health and safety professionals the confidence of knowing that all workers will be notified of hazards regardless of how many workers are onsite and where they are in the area.
Integrated as part of a comprehensive cloud-connected safety program, area monitors complete the overall picture of the workforce and worksite together—at the enterprise lev- el. Cloud-driven automation enables area monitors to stream gas readings and alerts to the cloud automatically, where this data can trigger real-time emergency responses and evacua- tions by monitoring personnel. Health and safety profession- als and company leaders are able to use collected data to make informed decisions to keep workers safe, schedule proactive maintenance and look at how to optimize workflows for peak efficiency. Developing solutions for potential issues before they become a problem boosts overall worksite safety, quality and efficiency. A holistic, all-inclusive approach to safety promotes a more engaged, safer workforce across all locations.
22 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2020
Alleviating Pain Points
In addition to enhanced reliability and visibility, the new age of cloud-connected area monitors can also alleviate more practical pain points associated with everyday use.
Conventional area monitors are notorious for burdensome deployment, setup and maintenance. Setting up and manag- ing radio networks can present an unexpected challenge for many businesses. Plus, due to limits to range and the allowable number of devices on a network, multiple networks may need to be de- ployed. Next, traditional monitors feature notoriously short bat- tery life and require a battery change from every day to about once per week at the outset. After this time, workers must go visit every area monitor to replace the battery, ensure that everything is opera- tional and take the empty battery back for charging. This arduous process causes an interruption in area monitoring and requires a considerable amount of human effort and diligence to ensure that every monitor continues to function.
A direct connection to the cloud via cellular or satellite connec- tivity makes deploying area monitors incredibly easy and stream- lined. When powered on, these devices can seamlessly connect to cloud-hosted infrastructure. The don’t rely on wireless connec- tivity between nearby devices since every monitor connects direct- ly to the cloud. These devices mean no more range limits between devices, limits to the number of devices on the network and no maximum number of network hops. Every gas reading and alert streams directly to the cloud where there’s a complete picture of every team member and area monitor deployed throughout the worksite.
Routing of gas readings between devices will be intelligently handled through geographic zones, or geofences. Every single area monitor and personal gas detector will receive every alert that occurs within the same zone. This hassle-free setup elimi- nates the complexities and downtime that businesses have accepted until now, which in turn increases safety and productivity.
Area monitors should be just as “plugged in” and “connect- ed” as every other piece of technology that we take for granted in our personal lives—from smartphones and fitness monitors to smart TVs, social media and home networks. The industry con- tinues to make technological advancements, and area monitoring is joining this connected reality.
Call Out Box: Looking to the Future
As connectivity continues transform workplace safety, it unlocks great potential for innovation. When this concept is applied to cloud-connected area monitors and coupled with location technology, further advances become possible to notify workers based on worksite zones or geofences. Health and safety profes- sionals can draw geographic zones in cloud-hosted software to segment the worksite into different areas. Because they use GPS and affordable location beacon signals, wearable detectors and area monitors are mapped within their corresponding zone and auto- matically receive any alert for that zone. This dynamic routing of alerts is intuitive and comprehensive, never leaving an employee unaware of a dangerous gas exposure.
Kirk Johnson is the Global Product Manager for Blackline Safety. www.ohsonline.com