Expert talks safe sensor use

Oxygen depletion sensors should not be used environments where the target gas is carbon dioxide, warns Tim Holmes, MD of Safety Gas Detection, manufacturer, installer and servicer of gas monitoring systems.

His assertion is that that use of oxygen depletion monitoring in environments such as university laboratories, pharmaceutical companies and the drinks industry is not sensitive enough for the detection of carbon dioxide. This means that levels of carbon dioxide may become dangerously high before the alarms are triggered.

Instead, Holmes recommends infra-red carbon dioxide sensors, the cost of which has plummeted in recent years.

Safety Gas Detection provides gas alarm systems that monitor the presence and depletion of a range of gases including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), flammable gas, oxygen, refrigeration gas, and toxic gas.