Canadian Occupational Safety

21 2019 APRIL/MAY Is it a high-level alarm, a low-level alarm? Was it ignored, was it ac k nowl- edged? Did the alarm persist after it went off? For how long?" Douglas says. "Employers don't want their workers to stay in that alarm condi- tion; they want them to move to a safer area. So, that's all good data to return back to the employer, especially if people are ignor- ing alarms." To their connected detectors, manufacturers have also added other features. One of these is a man- down alarm. If a worker has a medical incident, for example, is incapacitated and stops moving for 30 seconds or a minute, an alarm will be triggered. This feature is particularly useful for lone workers, where no one else is around to help. The alarm could be broadcast to the supervisor's cellphone or go to a control room in the facility where someone monitor- ing a screen could summon an emergency response. Another feature, Douglas adds, is the ability to link or connect a team of workers through the detectors. In this situation, if an alarm goes off for any member of the team, everyone in the team will see the alarm, know whose alarm went off and what type of hazard, such as low oxygen or flammable gas, set off the alarm. If the endan- gered worker does not respond quickly, any other person on the team can initiate a response to help the worker. Randall of Concept Controls says the trend to integrate detectors with other devices and func- tions is increasing safety awareness. Today, instead of downloading a data record every few months, a safety manager can get the readings in real time and often with localized GPS maps and will be able to see exactly where a worker was when their monitor detected a higher gas level. A company may be able to cordon an area off or shut off a valve or vent that may be the source of a leak. "With the data they get now, safety managers can ask, 'Why are we getting more gas detection in one area of the plant, or of the job, than in others?' It's about tying in the process controls with indi- vidual gas detection readings. Companies have found that the information that tells them where there are spikes in gas detection, what areas of a plant or of the job process, helps them engineer safety solutions based on those gas detection read- ings," he says. "Twenty years ago, a gas detector was: 'Am I going to walk into a dangerous area?' Today, with the integration, it's not only that but also 'Where are our problem locations across our work areas?' So managers can then adapt to those situations, instead of being reactive to an alarm." Many manufacturers are using Wi-Fi technol- ogy or Bluetooth connected to a smartphone in their gas detection systems. One manufacturer that is using Bluetooth to extend the functions of gas detectors is Honeywell. The SensePoint XRL, used in industrial applications to detect toxic gases or explosive gases, is a fixed detector that allows users to connect with it through a smartphone or tablet, says Jason Knudson, product manager, industrial, at Fort Mill, S.C.-based Honeywell Safety and Pro- ductivity Solutions. Workers can connect from up to 10 metres away to perform maintenance tasks, such as calibration. Since fixed gas monitors are often mounted high off the ground, the ability to manage these tasks remotely is much safer and keeps workers away from possible hazardous gas near the monitors. It also makes maintenance easier. "Traditionally, you would interface with a fixed- point gas detector by going up to it and interacting with it directly with a magnetic wand and with switches on the device. You would have to go through some menus and screens to get to the information. It takes time," Knudson says. "We're trying to improve the user experience with the gas detectors." With the SensePoint XRL, released in 2017, safety managers can produce system reports. By selecting the desired report on the app, they can get a maintenance report on a particular detector, for example, or a gas history report that may be needed for a safety audit. Honeywell has also added Blue- tooth to its portable detectors. Calgary-based Blackline Safety is using a differ- ent technology. The company's G7 monitors have cellular radio embedded in the device, says Bren- don Cook, chief technology officer and co-founder. A connection with a smartphone is not required, which can be an advantage since cellphones are often banned from work areas, he adds. The monitor has features useful for lone workers as an employee's safety can be monitored continuously. When the person's device detects an incident such as a fall or lack of movement, it will trigger an alert that is sent to a monitoring team who manages the emergency. "With a person-worn detector, we can capture a gas-based exposure, of course, and drive that through to a live monitoring team as an alert. But also, if a worker misses a required check-in — say they're on an hourly check-in schedule — that can be communi- cated to the monitoring team," Cook says. "It's a real-time emergency response manage- ment system." The communication link is maintained for employees who not only work in different areas across one site but also travel from site to site. "As they journey from one location to another, they can remain wirelessly con- nected," he says. The system can also be used to automate the testing regimen a company needs to dem- onstrate its compliance with regulations. The system will stream the bump tests (usually performed every day or two), the calibra- tions (done once every three to six months) and employee usage to the online software. "Instead of people having to go into the field, retrieve data logs from docking stations and compile a report on it, we automate that whole process. It saves businesses a lot of time and energy, and there is no compliance gap," Cook says. The G7 device includes a two-way radio for communication among employees. It can also communicate through satellite networks, ideal for remote workers in areas lacking cellphone coverage. LIMITATIONS While it is clearly an advantage to have a single gas monitor that can detect many different hazards, multi-gas monitors do have limitations, Douglas says. First, a worker should always be aware the moni- tor may not detect everything in the air. It's up to the employer to make sure workers are provided with the right equipment and training so they know how to use the equipment and are aware of the monitor's limitations. Second, where there are many exotic chemicals, such as in an oil refinery, the chemicals can cause cross-interference in certain sensors. In this case, a monitor may misidentify a chemical. For example, a standard feature in four- and five-gas monitors is a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor. However, if hydrogen is present, it can make the carbon mon- oxide alarm go off. "And it won't be carbon monoxide; it will be hydrogen, and hydrogen is extremely flamma- ble and dangerous. So, the worker may see their carbon monoxide detector sensor telling them there's an alarm condition, but they will not treat it as an urgent, hydrogen alarm," Douglas says. "That's where the company needs to understand their hazards, and if they have any potential cross- interferences, they need to educate the worker that just because the CO alarm goes off it doesn't neces- sarily mean it is CO; it could be something else. It's not going to automatically tell you it's hydrogen. The training can get very sophisticated if your work environment is very sophisticated." COS Linda Johnson is a Toronto-based freelance journalist who has been writing for COS for eight years. Many manufacturers are using Wi-Fi technology or Bluetooth connected to a smartphone in their gas detection systems. An award winning safety training provider, YOW Canada offers various customizable courses to help with compliance, including: Workplace Violence and Harassment and an all new WHMIS 2015. Visit our website for free demos and a full list of courses and products available. 1.866.688.2845 www.yowcanada.com ® Safety Compliance Made Easy! 2 0 1 8 READERS' CHOICE ONLINE SAFETY TRAINING 2 0 1 8 READERS' CHOICE WHMIS TRAINING

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