Maintenance of gas detectors can quickly become a costly headache, especially when you need to keep extra gas monitors and spare parts on-hand. When time is limited and critical repairs take precedence, it’s not unusual for routine gas detector maintenance to be postponed. Some data estimates that just 20% of users bump test each day. This is concerning, to say the least.
Maintaining gas supply in any environment is a critical safety aspect. Image credit: Cummins
Gas detector maintenance and repair are critical to worker safety, so it’s important to find an efficient and effective maintenance plan. Below are some of the ways you can simplify gas detection maintenance, no matter how big or small your program:
Schedule manual maintenance windows: Some companies schedule maintenance into the work week to ensure monitors get the attention they need. Consider implementing mandatory calibrations in the morning on the first workday of the month. While this process requires a larger time investment on maintenance day, it ensures that all monitors are calibrated at the recommended frequency, giving you peace of mind that monitors will alert workers to dangerous gases.
Install docking stations: The popularity of docking stations has skyrocketed in the last few years for good reason: they automate routine gas detection maintenance. Docking stations are complete instrument management systems that automatically bump test, calibrate, and collect valuable data. They make it easy to access accurate records, so you can be sure that gas detectors are maintained properly and you’re in compliance.
Subscribe to a gas detection service: in a full-service, subscription-based service program like iNet® Exchange, you lease gas detectors and pair them with docking stations to automate routine maintenance and eliminate repairs. When a docking station senses a decline in a monitor’s performance, it automatically orders a replacement device to eliminate instrument downtime and the hassle of warranty claims. Once you receive the replacement monitor, you send back the old one.