Page 14 - OHS, November/December 2021

IH: GAS DETECTION
How to Streamline Gas Detector Maintenance
Maintenance is crucial to ensure that the devices are working as expected when workers pick them up at the beginning of each shift.
BY AASHIMA DHANKHAR
Overseeing a gas detection fleet comes with many important responsibilities. Your workers depend on you to keep operations running smoothly with minimal device downtime, and most importantly, to give them
the tools they need to protect themselves from potential hazards on the job. One task on your to-do list is to maintain your gas monitors. Maintenance is crucial to ensure that the devices are working as expected when workers pick them up at the beginning of each shift. However, when gas detectors outwardly appear to be functioning and time is limited, it can be easy for maintenance to fall behind other responsibilities.
Why You Must Make Maintenance a Priority
Daily bump tests and monthly calibrations are the only way to know that your gas monitor will provide accurate gas readings and attention-grabbing alarms. Sensors can drift over time and be suddenly affected by poisons and inhibitors, leading to inaccurate readings, which makes monthly calibration a critical part of your gas detection maintenance plan. Daily bump testing ensures that sensors will respond to gas hazards and trigger the appropriate audio and visual alarms.
Routine maintenance helps you get the most out of your investment into your safety program. If you do not keep up
14 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 www.ohsonline.com