Your colleagues may be using gas meters, and that’s great, BUT do they really understand how to use the equipment?

Do your colleagues know what…
…LEL means?
…PPM means?
…vol% is?
…the gas meter’s 0 point is?
…the administrative norm is?
…requirements must be met before a tank may be entered?
…conditions must be met to have a gas-free atmosphere?

Those who are not acquainted with these concepts should be given a thorough introduction.  Knowledge of what gas measurement entails, why we use gas meters, and the threats against which we protect ourselves, will contribute to a safer and more correct use of gas meters.

Chemical Exposure in Norwegian Industry
A little more than 10 years ago (1998), the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority estimated that 3% of sick leave in Norway was due to chemical exposure.  Numbers from Statistics Norway (2003) indicate that 13% of the workforce faces significant exposure to harmful chemicals, in dust, gas, or vapour.  In a 2005 report from the Norwegian National Institute of Occupational Health (STAMI), we can read that international scientific studies estimate that around 15% of all cases of asthma, COPD, and lung cancer among men, are related to the working environment.

The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority estimates that 700-800 people die of cancer and COPD every year, as a result of exposure to chemicals in the working environment (Report to the Parliament no.14, 2006-2007).  Chemical exposure in the working environment is regulated by the Working Environment Act, Chemical Regulations, and the EU’s chemical programme, REACH, all of which aim to protect the health and safety of workers against the dangers of chemical exposure at work (STAMI).

2000-2009: Dangers and Accidents from Gas Still Exist
If we take a look at news stories from 2000-2009, we can see that we have not yet managed to eliminate the risks associated with gas or accidents caused by gas.  One positive tendency, however, is that the number of accidents has gone down.  Still, there have been a number of  “near accidents”, at the same time as challenges associated with chemical exposure, which are relatively “new”, have received more attention.

In 2006, three Polish workers died from oxygen deficiency.  One of the workers went down to the bottom of a tank-like room, collapsed, and died.  The accident was reported, but before industrial safety personnel had time to react, two other workers went down into the tank to help their colleague.  They both lost consciousness and later died.

In 2007, two large tanks exploded at Sløvåg in Gulen.  Fortunately, no lives were lost, but two people required medical treatment.  In the aftermath of the explosion, the local population was called in for medical examinations, to see if they were suffering from any health problems as a result of the incident.

True or False?
Safe and correct use of gas meters helps to prevent accidents like those described above.
 
Take the Vestteknikk Quiz…Are the following statements true or false?

• Your nose is the best gas meter!
• I stopped using a gas meter because it always beeped when I entered a tank.
• I can smell it if there are low levels of oxygen in tanks.
• Do I need a gas meter? No, I just work in the sewers…
• If only 5% LEL has been detected I can enter the closed space (no other safety regulations apply).
• Having an oxygen meter is enough, if you have an oxygen meter, you will be safe.
• Your nose is the best way to detect Hydrogen Sulphide – the stronger the concentration of H2S, the stronger the smell.
• Gas meters must be cleaned with a solvent.
• My boss told me to go outside and calibrate my oxygen meter in the fresh air.  The gas meter was supposed to read 0.0 vol% for oxygen to be approved for use.

None of these statements are a correct reflection of reality, but they have all been expressed at some time or other to Vestteknikk’s employees, in courses, during service work, on jobs, or when consulting with a client.  Are you sure that those using gas meters in your company haven’t made similar comments?

Photo: Live birds were used to letting you know that you were breathing fresh air

Gas Measurement Course
Vestteknikk offers a course that exposes the abovementioned myths, focuses on checklists for using gas meters, and looks at the potential consequences of exposure to various gases, as well as the consequences of the presence of flammable gas and low oxygen levels.

At the most basic level, you can acquire this knowledge through our online gas measurement course, which provides a basic introduction and represents the minimum required knowledge for everyone who uses gas meters.  It is important that users are aware of the limitations of gas meters, so they don’t feel that they are safe from gases that the gas meter doesn’t actually detect.

Click here to enrol in the online gas measurement course.

“IT’S NOT COOL TO BE DEAD”
The Norwegian Council for Road Safety had a commercial a couple of years ago, with the slogan:  “IT’S NOT COOL TO BE DEAD”.  That’s still true, and not the least in areas where gas presents a threat!  Think about the working environment; make sure gas meters are used safely and effectively, so you can protect yourself against areas with unsafe air.  AND remember that exposure to toxic gas can affect you 20 years afterwards.

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