Why a CO2 Monitor May be Needed? Where Carbon Dioxide leaks Occur

Do you work with carbon dioxide (or CO2) in your industry? If so, then you may need a carbon dioxide monitor to check for gas leaks that could pose a hazard to your workplace safety. Learn common scenarios where carbon dioxide can leak and see how a CO2 detector can minimize your risk.

Industries Where CO2 Monitors Can Make a Difference

There are many industries that utilize carbon dioxide gas, and we believe that all of these could benefit from the presence of a carbon dioxide monitor. Industries where a CO2 detector can make a difference include:

• Restaurant/fast food - Does your restaurant or fast food chain have a soda machine? If so, then you rely on carbon dioxide gas to pass through water, mix with flavored syrup, and create carbonated soda. When everything works properly, you can easily serve sodas. When the carbon dioxide line develops a leak and CO2 gas enters the premesis or gets into the sodas, you can sicken employees and customers. In a worst case scenario, you could be liable for the death of customers due to CO2 exposure.
• Convenience stores and gas stations - Convenience stores and gas stations using soda machines can benefit from a CO2 detector for the same reason as restaurants and fast food chains.
• Craft brewing - CO2 gas in a natural byproduct of the brewing process, creating fizz as yeast eats natural sugars. The CO2 is usually contained within the fermentation tank; however, the carbon dioxide could escape through the tank's airlock and valves. CO2 is heavier than air, so it can rest on the brewery floor where staff breathe it in. A CO2 gas detector can alert brewery staff to escaped gas, preventing a workplace catastrophe.
• Agriculture - Since grain gives off carbon dioxide gas in the silo environment, grain elevators have a need for CO2 detectors for worker safety and quality control. Even low levels of carbon dioxide can indicate grain spoilage. Early detection can not only protect the crop but safeguard worker health.
• Firefighters - Firefighters knowingly face danger to keep society safe from devastating fires, but they also face dangerous CO2 gases. Certain types of spray foam insulation that contain Icynene foam produce carbon dioxide gas in a fire. Firefighters also stock carbon dioxide canisters for use in firefighting, as the gas can be used to put out fires since it reduces environmental oxygen. If CO2 canisters develop leaks, or crews enter an environment that contains Icynene foam, firefighters risk breathing in dangerous fumes. A CO2detector can help crews monitor their risk on the job.
How CO2 Gas Monitors Can Help
If staff could see or smell carbon dioxide, they would be able to protect themselves and your customers. Unfortunately, this gas is odorless and colorless - a silent killer. There is no way for staff to tell whether systems are working properly or whether CO2 gas is leaking into the work environment. A carbon dioxide detector is a quick and easy way to tell when something has gone wrong.

When a leak occurs, it will disrupt the levels of oxygen in the air, ultimately creating an oxygen deficient environment. When there is not enough oxygen in a room, employees will begin to experience respiratory problems. The risk of death increases the longer staff remain in an oxygen deficient room.

A carbon dioxide monitor will detect levels of oxygen in the air round the clock, so no one needs to set it after the initial installation. When everything is functioning well, the alarm remains silent yet alert. The CO2 gas monitor will sound an alarm when levels of oxygen in the room reach the lower limit of the safe zone. Employees will hear and see the alarm, and can safely evacuate the space for their own health.

CO2 gas monitors from PureAire are equipped with zirconium sensors, which can last for 10 years without maintenance. Our products are reliable, well-constructed, and built to last in high-traffic retail and industrial environments. When safety matters, choose the best in oxygen monitoring equipment. Choose PureAire. Learn more about our products and our mission at www.pureairemonitoring.com.

Source

http://www.firefighternation.com/article/hidden-danger
http://www.critical-environment.com/blog/carbon-dioxide-co2-leak-in-soda-machines/
http://www.feedandgrain.com/magazine/co2-monitoring-a-new-grain-management-tool

Paint Booths, or Areas Using Combustible Gases: Why a Requirement for Combustible Gas Monitor Might be Necessary

Paint booths save time and ensure a smooth and professional application of paint in a range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, home decor, furniture, and more. Combustible gases and fluids in the paint booth environment can pose a health hazard if something goes wrong. Explore the hidden dangers of paint booth fluids and gases, and learn how a combustible gas detector can increase employee safety in the work environment. 

Hidden Dangers in the Paint Booth Environment

The paint booth serves as a protected environment, minimizing many of the problems that would occur if the same item were to be painted out of doors. While paint booths are highly useful and cost effective for a range of applications, they do utilize harmful gases and fluids. Gases and fluids in a typical paint booth environment include compressed air, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane, natural gas, kerosene, helium, and custom gas mixes. These gases and fluids are usually piped into the spray booth from an external source; yet in some cases these gases can be piped into the spray booth from a source located inside the building. 
When everything is working properly, gases can flow as needed without posing a health risk. Yet if one of the supply lines, pipes, or storage tanks were to develop a leak, one or more of these substances could leak into the air. There are a range of hidden health dangers. Flammable gases, in contact with oxygen, could pose a fire risk. A lower explosive limit or LEL monitor can alert staff if gases have escaped so that staff may take appropriate measures. 

Nitrogen poses a severe health risk as it can create an oxygen deficient environment. When oxygen drops below a certain level, employees can experience respiratory distress. Since nitrogen is colorless and odorless, staff have no way of knowing of the danger they may be in, unless there is an oxygen monitor in place. 
The protected environment of the paint booth keeps contaminated air from passing through the area, so that the piece can properly dry and cure in between coats. This streamlines the spray paint process to ensure consistency and precision. 

When everything functions as it should, the paint booth ventilation controls keep vapors in the mist below 25 percent of exhaust. While routine inspections and internal alarms can ensure you that everything is working well, they are not a failsafe. To protect your staff from the dangers posed by combustible fluids and gases, install a combustible monitor and an O2 monitoring device as a second line of defense. 

How an LEL Combustible Monitor Can Protect Your Staff

The presence of combustible gases makes paint booths a dangerous environment prone to fires and explosions. To mitigate the risk, special pipes are used to carry materials into and out of the environment. Instrumentation and temperature controls utilize explosion-proof components, which ensure that the instrumentation and controls create no spark.

While this reduces the risk of explosion, it does not reduce the danger these gases pose were they to leak into the closed environment of the paint booth. An LEL monitor alerts your staff if gases exceed the lower explosive limit. This gives staff enough time to shut off control valves and exit the paint booth environment, safeguarding their health and reducing the risk of explosion. 
Not only are these monitors a good idea for employee health and safety, they may be required by law. According to OSHA, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, a compliance safety and health officer can use a combustible gas monitor during inspections to ensure that the work environment does not pose a threat. 

PureAire offers a range of O2 monitoring systems for Nitrogen, Argon, CO₂, and helium. Also, they offer LEL monitors that can be used to monitor the levels of hydrogen, natural gas , acetylene, and other combustible gases in the environment.  Built to withstand regular use without the need for maintenance, our combustible gas detectors come with a 4+ sensor and two alarm relays.

PureAire has over 15 years of experience developing the latest in LEL and oxygen monitors for a wide range of industrial uses. When you need a reliable and durable safety monitor, choose PureAire. Learn more about our combustible gas monitors for paint booths at our website or email us at info@pureaire.net.

Source                                     

http://www.dwyer-inst.com/articles/?Action=View&ArticleID=38
http://www.asminternational.org/content/TSS/pics/safety/safety5.pdf

http://www.pureairemonitoring.com/category/all-categories/gas-monitors/