Testing and calibrating your gas detectors before every use could mean the difference between life and death.<\/p>\n
Many gas detection users only want to hear what they want to hear, but those serious about the health and safety of themselves and those they are responsible for wanting the facts.
\nThe facts are that you don\u2019t know that you air is safe by simply turning the gas detector on then going straight to work. The sensors must be tested. Is this news to anyone? No it\u2019s not\u2026or at least it shouldn\u2019t be. All gas detection manufacturers clearly state, in their operational and maintenance manuals, that you must test the detector prior to each critical use.
\nHow Critical is Your Air?
\nSome manufacturers state that the period between calibrations can be as long as six months (not U.S. manufacturers), in an effort to gain market share because they think it\u2019s what we want to hear. Right.
\nStandard Questions
\nHow often do I have to calibrate?
\nAnswer: When \u201cfield\u201d or \u201cbump\u201d testing indicates the sensors do not reach a high percentage of the \u201cbump\u201d gas value on the can, assuming the gas is within manufacturers \u201cgood by\u201d date.
\nHow often must I \u201cbump\u201d test then?
\nAnswer: Before each critical use! If you do not use the meter for at least four weeks you are best served by, at the very least, \u201cbump\u201d testing to verify that the sensor have not croaked, as oxygen sensors can do. You also need to make sure that some eager previous user, looking to see the combustible sensor respond, has not applied his disposable lighter to the LEL sensor and voila\u2026the LEL is either dead from over-ranging or has been poisoned. Poisoned by butane gas? That\u2019s correct. The LEL sensor is looking for Lower Explosive Levels which are approximately in the 0-5% range, not 100%, which is what comes out of that disposable lighter. So how critical is your air and more importantly, how can you verify the safety and accuracy of your air? It\u2019s simple. Make sure you \u201cbump\u201d test before each use and calibrate regularly, which, by the way, will assist in keeping the sensors \u201chealthy.\u201d Some sensors have the tendency to \u201cgo to sleep.\u201d Regular calibration schedules not only keep your sensors healthy and verified, but it\u2019s the law. OSHA\u2019s confined space rule 20CFR 1901.146 recommends you follow the manufacturer\u2019s calibration and maintenance schedule, all of which recommend \u201cfield\u201d or \u201cbump\u201d testing at regular intervals.
\nIt\u2019s a Simple Procedure
\nI know you\u2019re thinking this expensive and time consuming. After all, you need a Ph.D. to do this stuff don\u2019t you? On the contrary, with today\u2019s technology, the advent of advanced gas detectors, and the low cost of standard calibration gases (approximately $250-$300 per year) you can have the user doing the \u201cbump\u201d testing on a regular basis and keeping a log of their testing. When the \u201cbump\u201d test indicates a response less than 90% of the target gas in the bottle, you simply proceed with calibration, using the same bottle.
\nAll of this takes, with the newer technology available today, about 3-5 minutes. No kidding, it\u2019s that easy and you have given the user a level of confidence which is not conveyed when you hand them a detector that already has a calibration sticker on it from a calibration they didn\u2019t perform.
\nSo, how critical is your air?
\nJohn V. Carvalho III is the president and CEO of Apollo Safety, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Testing and calibrating your gas detectors before every use could mean the difference between life and death. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[24,17,9,8,16,20],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety","tag-alarms","tag-apollo","tag-detection","tag-gas","tag-safety","tag-technology"],"yoast_head":"\n