What’s all this “pentane equivalent” gas stuff about anyhow?

Recently I have fielded more questions and had more inquiries about obtaining and using “pentane equivalent” calibration gas than ever before.  So what is all this “pentane equivalent” gas stuff about anyhow?

The notion of “pentane equivalent” or “propane equivalent” gas was started by a particular  manufacturer of gas monitoring instruments many years ago.  It …

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Why does my MX6 go into PUMP FAULT during calibration?

MX6 user Mike asked a question about a scenario that may be frequently encountered while calibrating an MX6 or any aspirated (pumped) gas monitoring instrument.  His question was as follows:

“Problem: Pump faults when test gas is applied. Tried turning gas on before connecting sample hose. We have two of these models. First one calibrated …

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A Gas Program Challenge for the New Year

Christmas is almost here and right behind it, the end of 2012.  Looking back we certainly have much to be thankful for over the past year.

Everyone at ISC is truly thankful that the number of customers signing up for “Gas Detection as a Service” is growing steadily and we now have more than 80,000 …

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Does the type of sample tubing I use make a difference?

Customer Mike recently sent me an email stating that he had been told by someone that the type of sample tubing that he used could affect the readings that he gets on his gas monitor.  He wanted to know if this was true.

Well  Mike, and everyone else, this certainly is true.  The type of …

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What is Your Gas Detection IQ?

Have you ever wanted to see just how much you really know about gas detection?  Industrial Scientific’s training department has given you the opportunity to do just that.

A test has recently been added to the on-line training section of our website, www.indsci.com.  The 25-question, multiple choice test examines your knowledge of basic gas detection principles.  Upon …

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What’s all this “pentane equivalent” gas stuff about anyhow? Why does my MX6 go into PUMP FAULT during calibration? A Gas Program Challenge for the New Year Does the type of sample tubing I use make a difference? What is Your Gas Detection IQ?

Feb
26

Two Rules to Live By

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CO Bump

A couple of weeks ago, I spent the afternoon visiting a local customer’s facility.  After parking the car, I was greeted by this sign at the gate on the walkway before entering the plant.

You know you have a strong safety culture when there is as much awareness about bump testing your gas detector as there is about looking both ways before you cross the street.   In either case, complacency can lead to fatality and it is really difficult to say that one is more important than the other.

If you work in an industrial environment where you can be threatened by deadly gases, these really are two rules to live by.  Start your day right every day:  Don’t forget to look both ways and dont’ forget to bump!

Dave

 

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Feb
09

It Takes Two…

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This week, Industrial Scientific introduced our newest single gas monitor, the Tango TX1.   That Tango TX1 uses Dual Sense technology to give users of this instrument the highest level of protection in the industry today.

Dual Sense technology uses redundant sensors to determine the concentration of the target gas in the atmosphere and reduce the risk of instrument failure.  That’s right, two sensors of the same type, in one single gas instrument, to give you one reliable and accurate gas reading.

Allow me to explain.  Think of the two sensors in the Tango TX1 like your two eyes or your two ears.  Sure, you can see okay out of one eye and hear pretty well out of one ear. But when both eyes and both ears are working together, your sight and hearing are much better.  Not only that, the chance of damaging both eyes or both ears at the same time and completely losing your sight or hearing is much, much lower than the potential of losing just one.

The Tango TX1 works the same way.  A patent pending software alogorithm uses the individual outputs from two sensors to give you a much clearer picture of the actual gas concentration in the air.  At the same time, the risk of the instrument failing due to a sensor failure is much less with two sensors than it is with one.  How much less you ask? Regardless of how often you bump test your monitor to verify that it is working properly, the risk of both sensors failing at the same time and leaving you unprotected is nearly 300 times less than than a single sensor instrument failure.   The risk of failure on any given day shifts from 1 in 375 to 1 in 110,000 for an instrument that is bump tested everyday and from 1 in 85 to 1 in 20,000 for an instrument that is only bump tested once a month.

That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t or don’t need to bump test your monitor any longer.  It simply means that regardless of your current bump test practices, you are safer carrying a Tango TX1  than you are carrying any other single gas monitor in the world.

Two is better than one.  You can bet your life on it!

Dave

 

PS- See the Tango TX1 at http://www.indsci.com/products/single-gas-detectors/tangoTX1/

 

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Dec
21

A Gas Program Challenge for the New Year

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Christmas is almost here and right behind it, the end of 2012.  Looking back we certainly have much to be thankful for over the past year.

Everyone at ISC is truly thankful that the number of customers signing up for “Gas Detection as a Service” is growing steadily and we now have more than 80,000 portable instruments enrolled in our iNet program which we are monitoring and servicing for those customers everyday.  We are blessed to be able to serve you and honor the responsibilities you have entrusted to us.

The other day, one iNet customer shared a story with me.  While traveling home from one of their distant facilities, he recieved a call from his supervisor informing him that a worker had fallen ill from an unknown gas exposure.  Seeking an answer to this problem, he pulled off the highway at the next rest stop, connected his laptop to a local WIFI network, and logged into iNet Control to access the data from the gas monitor carried by the fallen worker.  He quickly determined that the gas monitor, and the worker, had been exposed to a concentration of 169 PPM H2S.  This determination was possible because of the 24/7/365, anywhere in the world access he had to all his gas program data through iNet Control.

I am calling you to action in 2013.  In this new year, I challenge everyone who reads this blog to be resolved to learn more about their gas monitoring program.  Make this the year that you use the data and information that your program can provide you to answer questions, increase safety and make a difference in your company.  I challenge you to become part of the movement that iNet is leading to end death in the workplace.

80,000+ and growing, with still plenty of room for you to come on board.   We look forward to serving you in 2013 and beyond.

Wherever you are in the world, have a very safe and happy holiday season!

Dave

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Dec
12

Do I need to zero my gas monitor each time I turn it on?

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Lately I have been asked a number of questions regarding whether or not it is necessary to “zero” a portable gas monitor each time it is turned on for use.   It’s actually a great question, so what is all this zeroing stuff about anyhow?

As a matter of best practice, we train instrument users to perform four basic steps in clean air each time they turn their monitor on for use:  Verify the battery charge level, Zero, Bump test and Clear the peaks.  The key to this is knowing that you are in clean air.   You should never zero the instrument unless you know that you are in a clean air environment.   Zeroing the instrument in a contaminated atmosphere can lead to confusion in the resulting readings and may even mask the readings of potentially dangerous concentrations of gas.

With all of that said, if you turn your instrument on and the combustible gas and toxic gas sensor readings are 000 and the oxygen sensor reading is 20.9, what is the purpose of zeroing the monitor? Assuming that your monitor does not mask negative readings (no Industrial Scientific montor does) there is none and zeroing it at this point is of no benefit.  So, if you turn your instrument on and the readings are normal or within limits that are acceptable to you, there is no need to waste time going through the zeroing process.  You won’t be any better or safer for it.

But in all cases, if you do zero, make sure you do so in clean air.

Until next time – Be Safe and don’t hit the job site without your gas detector.

Dave

 

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Sep
14

NFPA Confined Space Committee

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I have spent the past two days in Philadelphia , PA working with the newly established NFPA Confined Space Safe Work-practices Committee.   What a rewarding two days!  Twenty-one people from around the country collaborating on best practices and procedures towards the goal of ending confined space related deaths in the workplace.

The deliverable of this team will be a recommended best practice document for safely entering confined spaces for both work and rescue in the fire services as well as general industry.  We have a long way to go, but I am certain that with the knowledge, expertise and level of experience represented on this team, that we can deliver the most comprehensive guide to confined space entry that has ever been produced.   Craig Schroll,  who took the lead in originally forming this committee but passed away before the team could hold its first meeting, would be very proud of the work that is being done.

Stay tuned for more on the work of the NFPA Confined Space Committee in future posts!

Dave

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Aug
31

What is Your Gas Detection IQ?

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Have you ever wanted to see just how much you really know about gas detection?  Industrial Scientific’s training department has given you the opportunity to do just that.

A test has recently been added to the on-line training section of our website, www.indsci.com.  The 25-question, multiple choice test examines your knowledge of basic gas detection principles.  Upon completion, the test is scored and you are given the opportunity to review your results.   You can print a certificate of completion along with a coupon that can be redeemed for $50.00 off your next face-to-face training session with Industrial Scientific. 

Go ahead, take a few minutes and give it try.   Find out your gas detection IQ at http://www.indsci.com/online-training/.

After you’re done, we’d love to have you join us for a class in person!   See you then!

Dave

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Aug
29

Industrial Scientific Wants You!

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Industrial Scientific is growing!  And that’s great news for our customers and our community.  Industrial Scientific was recently recognized as one of Pittsburgh’s fastest growing privately held companies and in order to continue that growth, we need more great people like you.

Industrial Scientific currently has nearly 40 open positions in engineering, software development, customer service, manufacturing, product management, people and leadership and more.   If you are looking for an opportunity  in a growing company with an employees first culture that the Pittsburgh Business Times calls one of Pittsburgh’s best places to work, then a career at Industrial Scientific may be for you.

Hundreds of Industrial Scientific employees have dedicated their careers to saving lives and fulfilling our vision of ending death in the workplace in this century.  Consider joining our team.  To learn more about career oportunites at Industrial Scientific visit our website at http://www.indsci.com/Careers/.

I hope to see your here soon!

Dave

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Aug
24

Does the type of sample tubing I use make a difference?

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Customer Mike recently sent me an email stating that he had been told by someone that the type of sample tubing that he used could affect the readings that he gets on his gas monitor.  He wanted to know if this was true.

Well  Mike, and everyone else, this certainly is true.  The type of sample tubing you use in conjunction with your gas monitor in remote sample applications and even during calibration can have a very pronounced effect on the gas readings that you obtain.  Not all sample tubings are created equal.  Certain types of tubing will react with certain gases and therefore negatively impact the accuracy of the monitor readings in different ways.

For instance, silicone rubber tubing and other types of tubing that contain silicone should never be used with a gas monitor that has a catalytyic bead combustible gas sensor.   The silicone vapors that may be off-gassed from the tubing will react and quickly poison the sensor reducing its sensitivity and ability to accurately detect combustible gas.

PVC tubing, such as the flexible tubing that the industry commonly refers to as Tygon tubing, may be suitable for sampling common gases such as oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and typical combustible gases that are measured at percent LEL levels, but PVC tubing can also react with many VOCs and other gases such as chlorine or ammonia and reduce the concentration of the gas that ultimately reaches the sensor in your gas monitor.   A polyurethane based tubing may be more suitable for some reactive gases but may still be prone to attracting moisture in humid environments that will react with and reduce the sampled gas concentration.

My advice to Mike, and to anyone using a portable gas monitor, is to use tubing made of a high quality, non-reactive material for remote sampling and calbration in any application where gases of a highly reactive nature are being measured in low concentration.   The most suitable tubing for reactive gas applications would be constructed of a Teflon (PTFE) based or Teflon-lined PVC material.

The type of tubing you use does and will make a difference, keep it high quality and you will keep it safe!

Dave

 

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Jul
11

How often should I change the sensors in my gas monitor?

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I have frequently been asked by instrument users how often they should change the sensors in their gas monitors.  The answer to this question is really quite simple.

There is really no recommended maintenance schedule for replacing the sensors in a portable gas monitor.  You should not look at the sensors like changing the oil in your car, but more like filling the gas tank.  When the sensors do not have enough sensitivity to calibrate successfully, they are essentially out of gas and should be replaced.   As long as there is still “gas in the tank” the sensors are okay for use.

Industrial Scientific instruments have a standard methodology for reading the sensor gas guage and determining how much is left in the tank. It is called the full spanvalue or span reserve value.   The span reserve value is the measure of sensitivity in the sensor determined during a calibration.  It is displayed on the monitor for each sensor at the end of calibration and is stored in the instrument calibration records.  Sensors with a span reserve value less than or equal to 50% of the calibration gas concentration are out of gas, will fail calibration, and must be replaced.   The “low fuel light” will come on when the span reserve value is between 50% and 70% of the calibration gas concentration indicating that the sensitivity is marginal and that you may want to consider refueling your monitor by replacing the sensors before the tank is completely empty.

So the bottom line is this.  As long as your sensors have enough sensitivity or span reserve to calibrate successfuly they are good to go.  There is no need to change the sensors until they fail calibration and can no longer be used.  Keep your eye on the gas guage – the span reserve value – and you won’t be caught without gas in your sensor’s tank.

Dave

 

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Jul
03

Be the Champion of your Gas Monitoring Program

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I’ve talked a lot about the components of a good and successful gas detection program and presented an impactful series of webinars on the topic.  There is no doubt that knowing your instruments work properly, knowing your instruments are used properly and reviewing your data regularly gets you a long way down the road to a successful program and a safer workplace.  But after a meeting with a key customer last week to review their system, it all suddenly became very clear to me.  If you are going to get started and work your way down the road to a successful program, someone has to be driving the bus.  You need a Champion!

We all want to be successful.  We all want to have better programs and a safer workplace.  We all fear having a gas related accident or fatality.  But let’s face it, fear and want to’s alone won’t get the job done.  Someone has to take charge. Someone has to drive the beliefs in best practices hard for them to become  ingrained into the everyday culture, process and routine of the workforce.  Someone has to be the leader.

I’ve talked to many safety managers who tell me regularly that their policy is that gas detectors are bump tested daily, or that they require monitors to be calibrated bi-weekly, or that monitors are to be used in certain situations on a daily basis, but that it just doesn’t get done that way.   Well, unless someone steps up to champion the cause and make that cause their personal mission, it will never get done.

The only way that we can successfully end injury and death due to gas accidents or any other cause in the workplace is to become champions of the programs and best practices that will get us there.   What are you waiting for?  Become the champion of your gas monitoring program today!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Dave

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