H2S gas, or Hydrogen Sulfide gas, is an extremely toxic chemical gas even when present in only small quantities. It smells strongly of rotting eggs at a low concentration, but as more is present, the human nose can no longer detect it because it gets used to the smell. This is why knowing how to effectively operate a H2S monitor is vitally important to the health and safety of those working in industrial plant environments.
Where to Mount a Monitor
You should always attempt to mount the gas monitors near the source of the toxic chemicals in question. For example, if you were storing large amounts of Hydrogen Sulfide in a sealed tank, you would want to keep the H2S gas detector quite close to that tank so that should some gas leak out of the tank in the event that the tank wasn’t properly sealed, the monitor will detect and alert you to the presence of toxic gas. These monitors can alert you to even trace amounts of toxic gas ensuring more thorough protection.
Types of Monitors
In the paragraph above, you learned about fixed gas detectors, which are larger monitors that can be mounted in specific areas to detect unexpected leaks. The two other kinds are listed below:
- Portable Gas Detectors: these are hand held devices that you can use to sweep areas you may suspect of containing toxic gas.
- Pocket Gas Detectors: similar to the hand held portable detectors, a pocket detector is small enough to be stored on your person at all times. You slip it into your pocket and it will alert you whenever it detects toxic gasses. These products typically only last about two years, and even less if they are exposed to toxic chemicals, but they are efficient in keeping your workers safe wherever they go in the plant!