Oil & Gas Safety | The Importance of Training, Wireless Gas Detection and Disaster Recovery Planning

Are all gas leaks dangerous?

According to Nicholas Kawa, only some leaks are dangerous. Kawa worked as a gas leak investigator. During his job, Kawa was surprised to find out that gas leaks were everywhere and not all leaks were fixed right away. In a time where people are thinking about safety and are buying things like wireless gas detection systems, why aren’t all leaks fixed right away?

Well, only gas leaks that have 5 – 15% concentration are actually explosive. Kawa realized that gas leaks were everywhere and only the riskiest leaks were prioritized.

oil & gas safety stats

Even though most leaks are harmless, gas safety is still important. Over the past few years, we’ve heard a lot of gas accident stories. Here are a few examples.

Examples of Oil & Gas Disasters

Gas Explosion, Etobicoke 2003

I had a personal experience with this disaster. At the time of the accident, I was still in elementary school. On that day, I was playing in recess and then heard the loudest “bang!” of my life. Of course, we were all scared and ran back to our teachers.

It turned out that the bang was from a nearby accident. A construction crew was working at a site when it struck a gas line. It caused a gas leak and the resulting explosion destroyed a strip mall.

Since 2003, several companies were fined for the accident. It also prompted businesses to take a closer look at their safety policies to prevent a future accident.

Lac-Mégantic Rail Disaster

Lac-Mégantic, a small town in Québec, was forever changed by a rail accident. In 2013, a train derailed and destroyed a section of the town. How did this accident happen?

The train, which was carrying fuel, was stopped for a crew change. While the train was braked, a gas leak fire caused a small fire. Firefighters were able to put out the fire, but in the process, the train’s brakes loosened. This caused the train to roll down the tracks, derail, and crash into downtown Lac-Mégantic.

The crash was later called one of the worst rail disasters in Canada. It was deadly and nearly destroyed all of Lac-Mégantic’s downtown buildings.

Bhopal Disaster

The Bhopal disaster was perhaps the worst gas disaster in history. In 1984, a pesticide plant had an accident which released tons of poisonous gases.
Over 600,000 people in nearby towns were exposed to these gases. It was horrifying – thousands of people died that night and many more thousands died over the years.

To this day, there are still lingering effects. The nearby towns still have uncleaned gases. In fact, the government still labels the area as contaminated.

Oil & Gas Safety

As seen in the previous 3 stories, oil and gas safety can save lives. Some safety best practices include:

oil & gas safety best practices

Employee training

Since accidents can cause wide damage, businesses spend a lot of time preventing accidents. One of the best prevention tools is training employees.

For instance, fuel companies set up policies around anything from uniforms to driving rules to vehicle inspection. After creating policies, businesses train and monitor employees. Proactive business, as a result, had much lower accident rates.

Wireless gas detection

A useful safety tool is using wireless gas detection. One of the biggest safety risks is odourless gas spills. Gas, in its natural state, is odourless. Sometimes, employees might not notice gas spills until it’s too late.

Enter wireless gas detection systems. These systems include both wireless gas detection sensors and remote shut off buttons. Sensors are portable kits that alert employees about gas threats. In addition, employees can use remote shut off buttons to cut equipment power.

Disaster Recovery Planning

Disaster recovery planning is where a business plans ahead for accidents. Although being accident-free is always the goal, businesses still need to prepare for emergencies.

For example, one company regularly conducts drills. These drills train employees on how to respond quickly to oil and gas accidents. As a result, when a spill actually happened, employees were able to quickly work with emergency services to contain the damage.

Links
The Atlantic: Gas Leaks Can’t Be Tamed
CBC: Enbridge fined $700K for fatal Etobicoke explosion
National Post: Lac Mégantic ‘may well be the most devastating rail accident in Canadian history’
The Atlantic: Bhopal: The World’s Worst Industrial Disaster, 30 Years Later
EWEB: Tanker Crash Highlights Importance of Emergency Preparedness and Response Efforts

Gas Detection Systems: How Do They Work?

How Do GoFleet’s Gas Detection Systems Work?

Gas detection systems are offered by GoFleet as an add-on to their fleet management solution. They measure the concentration of gases in the air for worker safety purposes. The units signify high levels of gas through visible and audible indicators in addition to sending instant threat reports to the driver’s fleet manager.

While older gas detectors where originally designed to detect only one gas, GoFleet’s modern gas detection systems have four different gas sensors in one unit. Users can select the types of gases that are to be detected. There are over 120 different possibilities. In addition to improving workers’ safety, GoFleet’s gas detection systems are fully integrated with the fleet management solution to make managing a fleet more efficient and productive.

GoFleet offers two different types of gas detection systems: 1) Oil and gas and 2) Fire and HazMat. The oil and gas package helps fleet managers protect their oil and gas workers with a combination of gas senor solutions. The fire and hazmat package is used for to protect public safety employees who face toxic gas hazards every day.

Gas detection systems improve worker safety in confined spaces such as vehicles, bins, cargo trucks, storage containers, vessels and pits, as they do not have continuous occupancy by employees.

GoFleet’s gas detection systems are extremely reliable. The gas sensors can run off of internal rechargeable batteries or the vehicle’s power. Fleet managers receive continuous gas detector reports for safety including the signal strength of the radio and the level of the battery charge. These reports are sent directly to GoFleet’s Geotab GO device.

Workers using one of GoFleet’s gas detection systems can also send a panic alarm to fleet managers from within 300 feet of their vehicle. If external antennas are installed, they can use the panic button up to a mile away.

Adding a gas detection system on to a vehicle is essential when your workers’ safety is at risk. The workers will know the presence of gases even before they exit the vehicle.

Wireless Gas Monitoring Equipment: Protect Your Employees

 

Detect Gas on Time with Wireless Gas Monitoring Equipment

GoFleet offers easy to install
wireless gas monitoring equipment
as an add-on to their GPS fleet tracking system. This equipment can
increase
the safety and health of your employees while they are at work. In
addition,
the wireless gas monitoring equipment has a convenient panic button in
case there
is an emergency. The key to business productivity and worker safety is
recognizing
there are potential hazardous work conditions as well as having the
ability to
make quick and smart decisions to keep the working environment safe.

The wireless gas monitoring equipment
is a simple yet
powerful gas detector that is mounted to your vehicles. It can be used
to
address chemical threats on industrial sites and gas/oil rigs. Each
unit has 3
fixed sensors that can detect oxygen, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
and
Lower Explosive Unit (LEL).

There are two main wireless gas
monitoring equipment
packages: Fire & Hazmat and Oil & Gas. The Fire
& Hazmat package
provides public safety for employees who face toxic gas hazards every
day. The
Oil & Gas package protects your gas and oil workers with senor
solutions.

With the wireless gas monitoring
equipment installed in your
fleet, you will be able to remotely shut off the equipment when an
issue
arises. Estop is a wireless, emergency shut-off for your equipment. It
can be
shut off on-site or from another remote location. There is also a
fourth sensor
that your business can set based on your individual business needs.

Wireless gas monitoring equipment has
many benefits for your
business. Any threats to your employees will be automatically reported
to your
fleet manager.  Your
employees will be
more aware of the presence of hazardous gases before the exit their
vehicles.
Furthermore, your business will start saving money by reducing spoilage
and
preventing theft.

More information: Wireless Gas Detection

 

Fire and HazMat

Fire and HazMat Worker Safety and Protection

Who’s watching out for your team?
From residential fires to landfills, public safety employees face the hazards of toxic gases every single day. What can you do to prevent accidents and injuries to your workers?

Our remote monitoring devices, gas detectors and GPS locators can help you stay in control of the risks your team faces.

Gas detection
Set up semi-permanently on a work-site or landfill, or take on the job to a fire or hazardous clean-up, our gas detectors are an accurate and technically advanced network of sensors capable of detecting and reading hazardous levels of toxic chemicals. With real-time monitoring and an easy-to-read screen, our gas detectors are a must-have for hazardous clean-up, public safety, and First-Response teams.

GPS Locators
Our GPS locators provide real-time monitoring and let you see your team at all times. Tracking crew members around a large clean-up or firefighters through a fire, these devices keep you in the know about everyone’s position, and can help you find them in an unexpected event.

Remote Monitoring
The Control Center Interface, a portable device with easy-to-use software integrates gas detection and location devices to let you monitor and respond to risk anytime, anywhere. From truck to office, the Control Center Interface keeps you informed on-the-go.

Call 1-888-998-1122 today to learn more about our Fire and HazMat Worker Safety Solutions and find out pricing.