Getting the right gas detector for the job

Working in confined spaces is difficult at the best of times so
the last thing a worker needs to worry about is their gas
detector.Louise Early discusses some factors to consider
during the selection process

While the best advice is, if at all
possible, to avoid entering
confined spaces, this is not
always an option. In some industries there
will always be occasions when workers or
emergency services personnel need to enter
potentially dangerous areas to carry out
inspections, routine maintenance, 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 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 can
be easily lost or damaged. Handheld
detectors that measure a wider range of
gases tend to have front-mount displays
and are usually optimised for leak
location or ‘hot work’ permit issue, rather
than being suitable for CSE work.

For this reason Crowcon has done
extensive market research among users
and fleet managers around the globe into
what the requirements of the ‘ideal’ CSE
gas detector are and found the following
five features to be essential:
Simple to use
Bright, easy to read display.

Long battery life
Robust construction
Reliable detection
With this feedback in mind, Crowcon
went back to the drawing board. The
result is Gas-Pro, a design suited for CSE
applications to comply with hazardous
area and health and safety standards.

Features of the new Gas-Pro include:
It is compact and comparable in size to
leading front-mount diffusion detectors
It is designed so as not to get in the way of
other PPE and accessories and not
interfere with a worker’s primary activity
It has a 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
+ve Safety – The status of detectors is
becoming more and more important 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. 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
indication of monitor status, unlike
standard bump test indications or
confidence flashes
Multiple gas sensors for up to five
potentially hazardous gases from an
extremely wide range including,
hydrogen 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
By selecting the most suitable gas
detector, personnel entering confined
spaces can be free from worries about
what risks might come with compromise
and be more focussed on their core
activities, safe in the knowledge that their
gas detector is focused on its core activity.

Louise Early is the safety portables product
manager for Crowcon Detection Instruments.