Feature

How to choose high-performance sensors for occupational safety equipment

Employers have a duty of care to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees, so it is vitally important to keep workers’ occupational exposure to harmful gases within permissible limits. For businesses that handle hazardous vapours, failure to comply with this duty can have disastrous consequences, so trustworthy sensing technology is necessary to protect industrial health and safety.

30/06/2023 11:09:31

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Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exist widely in almost every industry as key components of fuels, petrochemicals, solvents, paints, adhesives, cleaners, etc. Most are flammable and potentially explosive, as well as being harmful both to health and
the environment. VOCs are organic compounds that evaporate under normal conditions.

Some are harmful to the skin or eyes, and can be absorbed, but their volatility means that VOCs can be inhaled, and may cause a wide
variety of negative health effects, ranging from minor irritation to cancer – and even death.

Generally speaking, high concentrations (percentage levels) are necessary for combustion or explosion risk; low concentrations (ppm) can represent a toxic risk
from short-term exposure, and trace levels (ppb) can cause long-term toxic effects.

In addition to the potentially lethal effects of inadequate industrial health and safety, organisations which fail in their duty also risk huge financial losses from
prosecutions, fines, and critical damage to their brands. Investments in health and safety monitoring and personal protective equipment, such as reliable gas detectors, are therefore negligible in comparison with the consequences of failure.

Read the full article in DPA's July issue

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.