By Heather Douglas
Workers who might be endangered by oil and gas containing hydrogen sulphide (H2S) need special protection, especially those who are repeatedly exposed to small amounts, day after day, over a working lifetime, to ensure they do not suffer adverse effects. Although H2S detection monitoring practices vary by province, there are many type of gas monitoring equipment built with the capability to continuously collect gas concentration data from fixed locations in monitored areas and capable of being worn by employees to keep them safe.
Draeger Safety Canada Ltd. in Mississauga, ON is a leader in gas detection units, personal protection monitors, and rescue breathing equipment. The Draeger portable/personal and stationary area monitoring equipment – called the X-am 5000, is an ideal solution for users who need to accurately and reliably measure H2S levels. It comes equipped with a sensor response time of 15 seconds or less, and features the lowest detection limit (sensitivity) of 0.4 ppm, with a 0.1 ppm resolution (smallest detectable change), and an accuracy of plus or minus five per cent.
“The X-am 5000 provides a noticeable visual, audible, and vibration alarm notification to alert the user once exposed to a dangerous level of H2S gas,” Draeger says. “The unit offers an easy-to-use intuitive interface and displays all alarm set-points to prevent over-exposure in either the short- or long-term. The short-term alarm cannot be cancelled once reached making the user immediately evacuate the dangerous environment. The instrument also features data logging which records the entire history of the monitor for complete analytical and safety uses.”
Draeger makes several outstanding health and safety recommendations for employees using the X-am 5000:
• All employees working areas where there is a possibility of H2S, especially in enclosed or below grade locations (holes, trenches, and reserve pits), use detection equipment.
• Each piece should be maintained and calibrated to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• No employee should enter an H2S area without authorization, proper training, and suitable approved H2S filter and air purifying respirator mask, or a self-contained breathing apparatus.
• Each employee working in an H2S area must be required to be properly “fit tested” with their respirators or breathing apparatus.
• When an employee is working in an H2S area, there must be a standby person, with the proper breathing equipment, available to rescue an H2S victim.
• All H2S exposure victims should be treated by a physician before returning to work.
• In the event of an H2S emergency, all personnel should follow the site emergency plan.
• H2S areas, facilities, pipelines, and/or flow lines should be properly identified with signage.
Every employer says it is dedicated to the health and safety of its employees. Equipping workers with a personal/portable H2S meter, such as the Draeger X-am 5000, will give them greater protection from H2S exposure and improved methods for companies to determine and document exposures.
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