2019 NORTHEAST BUILDINGS & FACILITIES MANAGEMENT SHOW & CONFERENCE
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By John V. Carvalho III, Apollo Safety, Inc. “How Critical is Your Air? Q: How of ten mus t I “bump” test then?
gas detection manufac- turers clearly state, in their operational and mainte- nance manuals, that you must test the detector prior to each critical use. OSHA’s confined space rule 20CFR 1901.146 recommends you follow the manufacturer’s calibration and mainte- nance schedule, all of which recommend “field” or “bump” testing at regu- lar intervals. Q :How often do I have to calibrate? A :When “field” or “bump” testing indicates the sensors do not reach a high per- centage of the “bump” gas value on the can, assuming the gas is within manufac- turers “good by” date.
Testing and calibrating your gas detectors before every use could mean the
the “bump” testing on a regular basis and keeping a log of their testing. When the “bump” test indicates a response less than 90% of the target gas in the bottle, you simply proceed with calibration, using the same bottle. All of this takes about 3-5 minutes. It’s that easy and you have to give the user a level of confidence which is not conveyed when you hand them a detector that already has a calibration sticker on it from a calibra- tion they didn’t perform. So, how critical is your air?” John V. Carvalho III is the president and CEO of Apollo Safety, Inc.
A :Before each critical use! If you do not use the meter for at least four weeks you are best served by, “bump” testing to verify that the sensor have not stopped working. Some sensors have the tendency to “go to sleep.” Regu- lar calibration schedules not only keep your sensors healthy and verified, but it’s the law. It’s a Simple Procedure With today’s technology, the advent of advanced gas detectors, and the low cost of standard calibra- tion gases (approximately $250-$300 per year) you can have the user doing
d i f f e r ence between life and death. Many gas detection us- ers only want to hear what t hey wan t to hear, but t hose se r i -
John V. Carvalho III
ous about the health and safety of themselves and those they are responsible for want the facts. The facts are that you don’t know that your air is safe by simply turning the gas detector on then go- ing straight to work. The sensors must be tested. All
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