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Confined Space Entry – is your gas detector right for the job?
When working in confined spaces while harnessed and carrying tools, the last thing a worker needs to worry about is his or her gas detector. To meet requirements, Crowcon has developed Gas-Pro, a detector design specifically for confined space entry (CSE) applications
to wear full PPE (personal pro- tective equipment), are usually harnessed and may be carrying tools and equipment to com- plete the task in hand (e.g. welding). The last thing a worker in this environment needs to worry about is his or her gas detector. It should be designed specifically for con- fined space entry (CSE) applica- tions, be unobtrusive and have a clear display that is easy to see at a glance.
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According to the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) a confined space means ‘any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable risk’. This definition covers just about any industrial activity but is especially applicable to the utilities industries (water and wastewater, electricity, telecommunications and gas), construc- tion, hydrocarbon exploration and pro- cessing, petrochemicals, marine applications, agriculture, food process- ing, wine making and brewing, as well as emergency services.
While the best advice is, if at all pos- sible, to avoid entering confined spaces, this is obviously not always an option. In the above mentioned industries there will always be occasions when workers or emergency services personnel need to enter poten- tially dangerous areas to carry out inspections, routine main- tenance, perform emergency repairs or effect rescues. There is a wide range of equipment required for CSE environments and the supply industry is well developed, with a plethora of PPE and safety equipment available. The one area of CSE where improvement is needed and where compromises have, to
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Worker entering a confined space wearing Crowcon’s new Gas-Pro confined space entry detector and other equipment
orking in confined spaces is difficult at the best of times. Operators often have
date, always had to be made, is gas detection.
Users of gas detectors have typically had to make a choice between large pumped units, small diffusion models, or models with ‘parasitic’ pumps, which are easily lost or dam- aged. Handheld detectors that measure a wider range of gases tend to have front-mount dis- plays and are usually opti- mised for leak location or ‘hot work’ permit issue, rather than being suitable for CSE work. So, what are the require- ments of the ‘ideal’ CSE gas detector? Crowcon has done extensive market research among users and fleet man- agers around the globe and found the following five features to be essential:
• Simple to use.
• Bright, easy to read display. • Long battery life (for at least one full shift, and preferably two). • Robust construction.
Close-up of Crowcon’s new Gas-Pro confined space entry detector
• Reliable detection (while not being the focus of the task at hand, unreliable detectors can halt it quickly). These features may all seem obvious, but finding a gas detector that includes all of them, as well as other important characteristics has, until now, been impossible. With this feedback in mind, Crowcon went back to the drawing board. The result is Gas-Pro, a design perfectly suited for CSE applications to comply with hazardous area and health and safety standards.
Specific CSE features of the new Gas-Pro include:
• It is compact and compara- ble in size to leading front- mount diffusion detectors. It is designed so as not to get in the way of other PPE and acces- sories and not interfere with the worker’s primary activity. • It has a bright, clear top- mount display that can be read at a glance without having to even touch the detector. A dual colour backlight adds an extra
level of alert should the Gas-Pro enter alarm status.
• An internal pump means that pre- entry testing can be done quickly and easily. This also keeps the size of the detector small and removes the prob- lems of poor sealing or the need for extra equipment and chargers associ- ated with parasitic pumps.
• +ve Safety™ – The status of detec- tors is becoming more and more impor- tant to fleet managers. Health and safety executives around the world (OSHA, HSE, Safework Australia, to name but a few) are introducing and making more stringent the guidelines and regulations released to ensure worker safety. Unique to the Gas-Pro, +ve Safety™ provides tri-colour status indication, giving quick and effective monitoring of gas test (bump), calibration, over range and recent alarm notification. Not only is +ve Safety™ flexible enough to meet individual company regulations, but the indication light is visible to all, offering the fleet manager a quick, simple, yet comprehensive visible indi- cation of monitor status, unlike stan- dard bump test indications or confidence flashes.
• Multiple gas sensors for up to five potentially hazardous gases from an extremely wide range including, hydro- gen sulphide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen and flammable gases, as well as industry-specific gases such as ozone, ammonia, chlorine, chlorine dioxide and sulphur dioxide. • In addition, Gas-Pro is extremely rugged and has IP65 &IP67 ingress pro- tection with an extremely loud >95 dB alarm as well as a vibrating and dual colour visual warnings as standard. Crowcon’s new Gas-Pro CSE detector is therefore a new category of product designed for just one purpose – ensur- ing gas safety in confined spaces. Free from worries about what risks might come with compromise, personnel entering these spaces will be more focussed on their core activities, safe in the knowledge that their gas detector is focused on its core activity.
Crowcon Detection Instruments T: 01235 557700
www.crowcon.com
Enter 706 Gas detection & measurement – February 2011
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