Accurate detection. Real-time monitoring. Faster response times. Longer runtimes.
Technology used in instruments and monitors is “evolving to provide safer, smarter and easier-to-use solutions for workplace safety,” Gas Clip Technologies marketing manager Sandi Gregory and RMA/service manager Angel Miranda said.
However, “understanding why monitors are necessary is the first step to forming a complete detection system in any workplace,” ION Science marketing consultant Ashley Easterwood said. “Many workplaces use monitors, whether handheld or portable, because they’re required, but truly understanding what gases are being monitored and how they’re harmful to personnel enables workers to shift their perspective.”
This is important because instruments and monitors are “often the first, and sometimes only, indication that a worker is being exposed to a serious hazard,” warns Jason Kettler, director of product management at Industrial Scientific Corp.
Kettler says that, for workers, detectors need to be reliable, easy to use and fit the environment in which they’re being used.
This allows workers to trust the information and act on it quickly.
“For employers,” he said, “that means selecting the right tools, providing clear training, and setting expectations for how alarms and data should be used.”
How can you make sure that workers are properly trained on the use of the devices?
“Regular calibration, proper placement and routine testing are essential,” Gregory and Miranda said.
They went on to say that training should also include understanding instrument limitations, recognizing alarms and following procedures to ensure reliable protection.
“Worker involvement is key to a successful safety program,” said Anne Osbourn, connected services and solutions marketing manager for MSA Safety.
“Focus on implementation,” Kettler said. “Align gas detection policies and procedures with how work is actually performed, prioritize reliability and simplicity, and establish clear expectations for how alarms and data are reviewed and acted on.”
And encourage feedback from workers, Osbourn said. “Ask questions to help make sure your team has the right instrument type for the job.”
Because, at the end of the day, Kettler said, “Programs that are clear, practical and consistently reinforced are far more effective at driving safe behavior.”
Compiled with the assistance of the International Safety Equipment Association.
