Ontario area businesses with a confined space, as determined by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), must conduct atmospheric testing to safeguard their workers. Atmospheric testing includes both gas detection and monitoring for various types of gases.
CCOHS regulation 632/05 for confined spaces spells out Ontario businesses’ testing and monitoring requirements. A trained and qualified person must test the air as often as necessary, or if workers are always present, you must monitor the space continuously.
What are Gas Monitors?
Gas monitors are devices that continuously sample the air for the presence of potentially harmful quantities of certain gases. They can either be stationary or portable, and they set off an alarm when it detects the target concentration of a gas. The five most common types of gas detection are:
- Electrochemical (EC) Industrial Gas Detectors. ECs convert gas into an electrical current. Residential smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are both ECs.
- Micro-Electromechanical (MEMS) Based Industrial Gas Detectors. MEMS detectors measure thermal changes in the nearby gases and air with an embedded heater and thermometer.
- Pellistor/Catalytic Bead (CB) Industrial Gas Detectors. CBs have been around for over a century and use catalytic combustion to measure dangerous gases at Lower Explosive Level (LEL) concentrations.
- Infrared (OPIR/PIR/NDIR) Industrial Gas Sensors. Commonly used in the mining, transportation, and oil/gas industries, infrared sensors measure harmful gases by comparing the reaction of different infrared wavelengths to the ambient air.
- Photoionization (PID) Gas Sensors. PIDs are efficient and inexpensive detectors that can operate continuously to detect a wide variety of harmful or inert gases.
Which Types of Gases Should be Monitored?
CCOHS requires certain businesses to monitor the air quality in confined spaces to ensure worker safety. Dangerous air quality can result from any of the following conditions:
- Toxic gases – different chemical or biological substances such as:
- hydrogen Sulfide
- Carbon Monoxide
- Nitrogen Oxides
- Ozone
- Solvents
- Combustible and flammable gases such as:
- Hydrogen
- Methane
- Propane
- Iso-butane
- Oxygen – both too much and too little oxygen can be dangerous
Which Gas Monitor Do You Need?
Workplace safety is a primary concern for every Ontario business, so choosing the proper gas detector is vital. Every situation is different, so consider the following factors when selecting a gas monitor for your facility.
Risk assessment. Identify the types of gases that require monitoring and the size of the confined space. Any unsafe level of contaminants can be fatal, so you need to perform a comprehensive study of the types of gases that will appear in your workplace. Furthermore, regularly reevaluate your equipment and space to determine if it requires changes to the gas detection system.
Learn about all of the features of the available gas monitors for your application. Once you’ve identified the potentially harmful gases for your location, you need to understand how the different gas monitors operate.
- Does the detector use a diffusion or sample draw method?
- Does it monitor one or more types of gases?
- Is it classified for intrinsic safety?
Also, consider the operational specifications for the monitor you want to use. Pay close attention to the following factors:
- Monitor Accuracy. Accurate readings make your workplace safer.
- Cross-Sensitivities. Monitors that react to more than one gas can skew readings.
- Response Time. Short response times are safer.
- User-Friendly Interface. Easy-to-understand monitors require less training.
Choosing the correct gas detectors and monitors for your facility can be challenging, and you need to stay on top of changes to code and technologies. If you prefer to delegate this responsibility to highly trained professionals, look no further than Ontario’s All Protect Systems.
They’ve been a preferred life-safety partner for Ontario area businesses since 1996. Call them today to learn about their gas detection services.