The danger of asphyxiation due to deficiency of breathable oxygen in the air is one of the risks faced by workers in many industrial settings. The highest risks are in industries that involve heavy use of chemicals in their processes and where organizational policies do not prioritize or emphasize establishment of adequate protection and safety protocols for personnel.
Past incidents of serious or fatal accidents have pushed Federal agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to implement stricter rules that pertain to worker safety in the industrial setting.
The ironic thing about it is that all accidents involving toxic gases or chemical exposure are easily preventable through installation of appropriate safety protocols that involve devices called oxygen deficiency monitors since most accidents actually happen because toxic gases displace the oxygen that we need to live. A simple installation of toxic gas detectors or oxygen monitors reduces the risks significantly because modern monitors have become very good at what they do.
Installation of oxygen deficiency monitors or other types of gas alarm systems should be done in places where the risk of exposure is high such as in confined spaces inside chemical plants, refineries, storage vats and tanks, sewers, pipes, etc.
If you are unsure about how to implement such a protocol, there are a lot of consulting firms specializing in occupational safety assessment that you can get in touch with. If you are unsure of whom to contact, a call to your local fire department or even your insurance company will probably do the trick to finding the right contacts.
The importance of installing oxygen monitor and other gas detector devices should become a priority in any industrial work setting. Company policies should be established that will make sure that personnel are adequately protected. The costs of doing so will be easily justified because the cost of accidents, of lives lost due to safety negligence, will be severely higher.
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Oxygen monitors are basically devices that detect, measure or monitor oxygen levels in air or gas for safety or industrial purposes. As safety devices, it becomes an oxygen deficiency monitor that can be a room fixture or handy portable device that you can take with you to potentially hazardous locations. Applications of these devices are vast and can be found in the chemical, manufacturing, oil, telecommunications industries or any other fields that can involve employees getting exposed to hazardous materials and gases.
They can also be used for general purposes as in homes or in hospitals. They come in different models of hospital and home oxygen monitors. One good application of these devices in the hospital setting is for monitoring oxygen levels inside the MRI examination room.
Versus Oxygen Saturation Monitors
It has to be clarified that the oxygen monitor products defined above are totally different from health safety devices known as the oxygen saturation detector or monitor. The former being machines that measure air air quality or oxygen composition while the latter being devices that measure oxygen levels in the blood stream. Also called pulse oximeters, blood oximeters, etc., they measure oxygen saturation in the blood stream during anesthetic operations or for any other hospital conditions. They also have portable versions for home use.
Versus Natural Gas Detectors
Natural gas detectors are safety devices that measure natural gas in the air. It basically works the same way as oxygen monitors but they serve different purposes. Homes that are hooked up to natural gas lines for their energy are subjected to fire hazard risks due to gas leakage and hence, gas detectors are usually installed to mitigate this risk.
The above air quality and safety devices were developed for different purposes and knowing the basic difference between them can help clear some of the confusion for first time buyers.
Michell Instruments is a company that produces laboratory instruments that measure dew point, relative humidity, and moisture content in gases and hydrocarbon liquids. It also produces oxygen monitor devices that can be used in industrial, laboratory, medical and general settings.
They currently have two oxygen gas monitor ranges: The XTP range and the XZR range.
The company website states that the XTP range uses a thermo-paramagnetic oxygen monitor alarm system that boasts of outstanding reliability and accuracy. It is available for general purpose use or for use in hazardous industrial areas and has a wide range of measurement sensitivity which can range from ppm concentrations to 100% oxygen concentration. It also sports a very rugged design so it is perfectly suitable for industrial use.
The XZR range, on the other hand, features a technology that utilizes MSRS Zirconium Oxide systems for extremely accuracy and repeatability in measurements “even without the need for a calibration reference air supply”. There are oxygen depletion monitor models that are designed to detecting or monitoring trace oxygen in clean gases and there are ones designed to measure percentages of oxygen in flue gas.
The XTP line is designed for hazardous area or room oxygen monitor applications and sports the following main features:
- Outstanding accuracy of less than 1% FS allows re-ranging with no need for re-calibration
- Outstanding zero or span stability: 0.25% of span per month
- No zero shift and eliminates background gas effects
- Improved resistance versus contamination
- active compensation allowed for by two 4-20mA inputs for process variables
- Two isolated outputs and a local display in an explosion-proof enclosure allow local as well as remote installation
- Minimal maintenance saves money!
The XZR line are industrial oxygen analyzers that monitors trace oxygen in gas and is used to maintain or control the purity of gases such as Nitrogen, Argon, Helium and Carbon Dioxide. They are known for the following features:
- Reliable and repeatable measurements
- Low cost of ownership due to a highly responsive sensor
- Simple to maintain and easy to calibrate
- Quick and easy to install
- Long sensor lifetime
Reference: www.michell.com
