| SHOP MSA |
|
|
The importance of the right Gas Detection Equipment
Fact. Confined spaces are leading contributors to workplace injuries. While there are many health and safety risks concerned with working in such spaces, the biggest are coming from atmospheric conditions, particularly deficient levels of oxygen.
It is imperative that atmospheric conditions are checked, via a ‘live Risk Assessment’ before workers enter any confined space. When doing so, there are commonly three potential hazards that must be considered:
- Levels of oxygen and the likelihood of oxygen depletion
- The presence of toxic gases and/or vapours
- The presence of combustible gases and/or vapours
“Given the immediate risks of inert or toxic gases, confined space entry can be more dangerous than other industry operation - an unknown quantity and often ‘shift-changing’, meaning it contains many complex issues.” (MSA The Safety Company).
When choosing a gas detector for your worksite/s, here are some basic questions you need answers to.
- Is it designed for the specific environment and hazards in which it will be used?
- Is the equipment durable? For example, is it ‘drop test’ rated? And does it have an IP (Ingress Protection) Rating for water and dust?
- Do the sensors respond (T90) in an adequate timeframe, for the hazards in which it was calibrated for?
- What alarm features does it have?
- What is the warranty? How long does it last and what does it cover?
After doing your research, you must be confident that your life-saving equipment is so reliable that you will have peace of mind whenever you or others work in a confined space.
“It’s also important a gas detection instrument is bump tested and calibrated for the specific risk. For example, shipping containers that have remained sealed for some months at sea, may present a wide range of contaminants, therefore it’s important the right gas detector is used, bump tested and calibrated for a suspected containment range.”
“At MSA, we stress that gas detection is only one part to a successful confined space operation. That’s why we provide a full range of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that includes: fall protection, head protection, self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and other relevant PPE, to safely navigate different types of confined spaces.”
This article first appeared in the latest edition of Safety Spotlight. For more safety articles like this one, click below to checkout the online version of the magazine.
