Workers cannot rely on their senses to alert them to hazards in the workplace. Exposure to excessive levels of toxic gas or an oxygen-deficient environment can cause workers serious illness and even death. Combustible gas explosions are often catastrophic, injuring or killing personnel and destroying property.1 Designed to protect workers from such unforeseen dangers, gas monitoring instruments are often utilized to measure, monitor and indicate the concentration of certain gases in the atmosphere.
It is vital to worker safety that these instruments are maintained and calibrated properly. In addition, performance of a daily bump test prior to use of gas detectors is a best practice because it is the only method by which the entire system — instrument, sensors, flow path, power source, alarms and all electronics — can be checked to ensure it is functioning properly and that gas can reach the sensor. Additionally, bump testing and calibration records can be recorded on most detectors to help to ensure compliance, traceability and proper record-keeping.