Why Advanced Gas Detection is Essential for Worksite Safety

Mike Brown, Contributor

It’s no secret that gas-related industrial incidents, particularly in the oil and gas sector, are a serious concern.

In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the oil and gas industry experiences a significantly higher fatality rate than the general workforce, with some estimates as much as seven times higher—due in good part to gas exposures and explosions.

What’s particularly concerning is that a current trend shows oil and gas worker fatalities are on the rise. Anecdotal reasons for this increase include employees taking shortcuts or risks due to feeling rushed, pressured or worried about meeting expectations and keeping their jobs.

There’s another reason that’s less talked about, however: the increase in number of toxic gases that are present in today’s worksites make industrial environments more complex—and potentially hazardous—than ever before.

Multiple Gases, Increased Risks

The petrochemical industry is a prime example, with workers risking daily exposure to multiple gases, including combustible gases like methane, butane, ethane and propane, as well as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine and a range of volatile organic compounds.

As industrial environments evolve, so too must on-site incident protection. There is, therefore, a critical need for early, efficient gas screening. Many oil and gas companies with older, multi-gas units are finding them to be inadequate in today’s industrial environments.

Why must gas detection go beyond traditional area gas monitors to keep workers and facilities safe? It’s because the movement of gas is a complicated dance influenced by several variables. A common misconception is that an area monitor detects gas around a fixed radius where it’s deployed, but this isn’t necessarily true. Multiple factors influence an area monitor’s effective coverage, including:

Monitor’s placement: All gases have different physical properties—including volatility and relative density compared to air—so the placement of detectors for each type of gas should differ. Heavier gases, like hydrogen sulfide, tend to settle in low-lying areas, while lighter gases, such as methane, rise upward. Strategic placement of monitors—deploying them directly on the ground or on tripods—can ensure broader and more effective coverage. What’s more, having workers simultaneously wear personal gas detectors can maximize their safety, especially considering that gas dispersion can be unpredictable.

Environmental factors: Temperature, wind direction, humidity and atmospheric pressure can affect how gases disperse. Warmer environments, for instance, encourage faster gas dispersion, which means gas monitors in such settings might need to cover larger areas. Wind can carry gases over long distances or concentrate them in certain spots, based on direction and intensity. Even if an area monitor is only a few feet from a gas leak, if it’s upwind, it won’t be able to detect gas that doesn’t cross its sensors. Understanding these environmental dynamics is crucial in establishing an effective gas detection strategy.

Physical structure: The work environment also impacts gas monitors’ coverage. In confined spaces, gases might accumulate and create pockets of high concentration, while in open spaces, they may disperse more readily. Building structures, such as walls, ducts and partitions, can obstruct or channel gas movement, altering its distribution pattern, concentration and size of a monitor’s coverage.

Thankfully, gas detection technology is evolving along with changing industry needs and addressing these factors.

Value of Connected Safety

Cloud-connected wearables constantly stream data direct-to-cloud. The result is instant insight into how emergency response can be dispatched most effectively with full awareness of the risks present; where equipment is being used; where and what hazards are being encountered; and which devices are performing well or can be better leveraged.

With connected devices, managers and centralized incident response teams can monitor the safety status of every single employee in real-time, wherever they are in the world from a central, live online dashboard. It means historical data from safety devices can generate predictive models to identify patterns and get ahead of hazards before an incident occurs.

Connected safety devices also ensure safety audits and compliance requirements are no longer a source of stress. By replacing manual uploads with automated logging, there’s no delay in accessing data and no human-fallible link in the measuring and reporting process. Every bump test, calibration, gas exposure and usage session is instantly recorded, and compliance status is up-to-date—for hassle-free reporting and faster mitigation of non-compliance issues.

Like many working in hazardous environments, these firefighters had never had access to such detailed, life-saving information before. There’s no question that modern connected gas detection technology can help reverse the disturbing trend of gas-related industrial incidents. The time to start implementing it is now.

Mike Brown is Director, Product Management at Blackline Safety, a global leader in connected safety technology.

Value of Connected Safety

Cloud-connected wearables constantly stream data direct-to-cloud. The result is instant insight into how emergency response can be dispatched most effectively with full awareness of the risks present; where equipment is being used; where and what hazards are being encountered; and which devices are performing well or can be better leveraged.

With connected devices, managers and centralized incident response teams can monitor the safety status of every single employee in real-time, wherever they are in the world from a central, live online dashboard. It means historical data from safety devices can generate predictive models to identify patterns and get ahead of hazards before an incident occurs.

Connected safety devices also ensure safety audits and compliance requirements are no longer a source of stress. By replacing manual uploads with automated logging, there’s no delay in accessing data and no human-fallible link in the measuring and reporting process. Every bump test, calibration, gas exposure and usage session is instantly recorded, and compliance status is up-to-date—for hassle-free reporting and faster mitigation of non-compliance issues.

Like many working in hazardous environments, these firefighters had never had access to such detailed, life-saving information before. There’s no question that modern connected gas detection technology can help reverse the disturbing trend of gas-related industrial incidents. The time to start implementing it is now.

Mike Brown is Director, Product Management at Blackline Safety, a global leader in connected safety technology.