The Environmental Advantages of Site Area Monitoring

Across many applications and industries, area gas monitoring is a vital health and safety requirement in terms of measuring exposure for workers on site as well as local residential areas or businesses.

What is area gas monitoring?

Area monitoring is the deployment of multiple gas monitors on a site where there could be gas present. Instead of using portable gas detectors designed as personal protective devices, area gas monitors help to secure a defined area where several employees might be working.

Monitors are frequently used as a temporary solution in this way to provide protection for workers in construction, brownfield and remediation work, petrochemical, offshore or emergency situations. If sites are known to be contaminated, they will be expected to record gas levels to ensure boundary limits set by the Environmental Agency and/or local authorities are not exceeded.

What is boundary monitoring?

Like area gas monitoring, boundary monitoring is the deployment of multiple instruments to measure exposure levels such as noise, vibration, air quality and gas levels.

More commonly found on construction/demolition sites, units are placed at the fence line perimeter and can be linked together wirelessly, taking frequent samples to maintain boundary emission levels within acceptable regulatory guideline limits which can be provided to local authorities or other key stakeholders as evidence of acceptable exposure levels.

Advantages of area gas monitoring

Wireless detection

With features such as SMS and email alerts, real time review and fault alarms, the benefits of wireless area gas detection are clear. Data can be accessed remotely allowing for quick decision-making, while also eliminating risks which could delay projects such as not realising that the unit has lost power or not being set up correctly to record data.

Efficient site management

Many of the above wireless features have been specifically designed to reduce time and cost. They aid current site management in terms of simplified, efficient and accurate monitoring, reporting and cost.

All in one data storage

Other relevant information, such as calibration certificates and alert and data logs can all also be uploaded and accessed as PDF or CSV files, easing the whole reporting process by storing all of the project data in one place, ready to access as and when required.

Extended battery life

Access to a mains power source on site for items such as area monitors can be a luxury. However, the latest developments in battery life technology as well as solar options allow for long-term instrument deployment without the worry of sourcing on site power.

Area monitoring solutions from Shawcity

Our innovative portfolio of area monitors includes the G7 EXO from Blackline Safety and the RigRat from Honeywell. Both high specification instruments are equipped with the latest sensing technology for detecting VOCs, H2S, CO2, CO, O2, LEL and many more.

Blackline Safety G7 EXO (5-Gas Detector)

Weighing just over 12kg, the G7 EXO offers up to 100 days of continuous battery life. Available as a pumped or diffusive unit, the G7 EXO is approved for explosive environments and can support thousands of configuration options with up to five-gas operation.

The G7 EXO’s 4G cellular connectivity allows for fast and easy deployment with each device connecting straight to the cloud. This means no range limits between monitors and an unlimited number of devices allowed on the network.

Honeywell RigRat (6-Gas Detector)

Weighing just 8kg, RigRat offers the flexibility to work in numerous applications such as zone declassification, turnarounds, confined spaces, routine maintenance, fence line monitoring and more.

With up to eight weeks’ run time on a single charge and approved for explosive environments, RigRat offers extra sensors including noise and meteorological options.

Also available as a pumped or diffusive unit, RigRat can be deployed individually or linked with multiple units to form a wireless safety perimeter, with each unit providing gas readings and location data for fast, well-informed decisions.

Both G7 EXO and RigRat are available to purchase or hire from Shawcity with discounts available on multiple unit hires.

For more information or to discuss your monitoring requirements contact our team on 01367 899419 or email solutions@shawcity.co.uk.