Safety managers should know how important it is to keep workers mobile in the field without leaving them vulnerable to hazardous gases. The technology behind portable gas detectors is getting smarter while the devices themselves are getting lighter.

Modern day portable gas detectors are quite reliable and accurate. For enhanced worker safety and to be fully compliant there is a little known concept called bump testing. Bump tests are crucial when it comes to protecting your workers from hazardous gases and other air-borne toxins.

Breathing hazards such as hazardous gasses can be a danger to all types of workers, including those in the oil and gas, water treatment plants, metals refining and processing, and chemical plants. To keep safe working in these environments, workers need to carry a range of personal protective equipment.

One thing all portable gas detectors have in common is alarm tones. One alarm tone is used to indicate gas hazards, albeit with varied frequency or volume for Low/High/TWA/STEL warnings. An alarm for carbon monoxide sounds the same as an alarm for Lower Explosive Limit, oxygen, and hydrogen sulfide.