What Is a Gas Detection Wearable?

Answers to five frequently asked questions about this connected safety technology.

• By Anne Osbourn
• May 01, 2023

The number of workplace injuries remains largely unchanged year-over-year, with 2.6 million to 2.84 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers each year from 2017 to 2021. Up to 90 percent of serious workplace injuries and accidents can be attributed to human error. 

While PPE has not traditionally had the technological capabilities to help prevent worker injury due to human error, the latest safety innovations, such as gas detection wearables, can help provide visibility and data-driven insights to help your organization create an adaptable, proactive safety program and establish a culture of behavior-based safety. Connected, wearable products are one of the technologies leading the way for gas detection programs to evolve and enhance both their approach to worker safety and their approach to record-keeping, compliance and fleet management.  

Transforming your organization to a connected program does not happen overnight. The first step is understanding the benefits of wearable technology and how a connected program can work for your organization.  

To start, what is a gas-detection wearable? What are the benefits of connected safety technology? Here are answers to those and some other top questions. 

1. What is a Gas Detection Wearable?

A gas detection wearable is designed to be worn by all individual workers, on their persons, while on the job site. Workers—especially lone workers in oil and gas, telecommunications, utilities and construction industries and industrial contractors—can simply clip the device directly to apparel or other PPE to receive certain critical gas readings and evacuation alerts for their location.  

2. What Does the Term “Connected” Mean for Gas Detection Hardware? 

A wearable gas detector that comes with automatic connectivity can be much more impactful in terms of driving transformation, efficiency and reaching long-term safety and productivity goals of a gas detection program.  

The term “connected” not only means a connected device—one that comes with cellular connectivity through national networks—but also a comprehensive solution inclusive of hardware and software. Through this combination of cellular connectivity and hardware that is connected to software, connected devices can provide real-time data to help gather insights to help drive adaptable, proactive safety programs.  

This connectivity transforms hardware from traditional PPE to a technology-based, future-forward solution. Successful integration of this advanced technology requires that not only are devices smarter and capable of providing visibility and insights to help curb risk, boost productivity and simplify compliance but also that they continue to perform with the durability and functionality to maintain their first and foremost mission of helping to protect the worker. As a wearable device, the detector should maintain the IP rating, sensor technology and battery life expected of industry-leading portable gas detectors.  

A wearable device that comes with automatic connectivity right out of the box allows for quick and seamless implementation, with no IT required.  

3. How Can Wearable, Connected Technology Help Improve Worker Safety? 

Lone workers are one group that could benefit from wearable connected technology. The most common industries for lone workers include oil and gas, telecommunications, utilities and construction. With wearable devices, safety managers can help ensure these lone workers are not completely alone; safety managers can help make sure those workers are protected with real-time alerts. By digitally assigning a wearable device to each worker at the start of each shift, safety managers can gain insight into key individual worker data including:  

• Compliance with device use and faulty safety behaviors, including turning off an instrument or changing settings  
• Workers’ locations, gas readings and alarms  
• Safety behaviors in the field, and whether to implement new training for specific to individuals  

A connected work program for gas detection can also provide the visibility that is needed to manage large teams of workers and help establish a behavior-based culture of safety. Connected hardware and software solutions can provide real-time data such as worker location and certain aspects of how the detector is being used by each worker—which can all help inform safety training to both drive worker safety day-to-day and enhance an organization’s safety culture over time.  

4. How Can Wearable Technology Improve Worksite Safety? 

It can be difficult to manage assets across different worksites and keep remote teams safe and productive. Connecting worksites with wearable, connected technology can give safety managers visibility into: 

• Teams and assets, including worker position and activities and which devices require maintenance  
• External and environmental factors, such as temperature or humidity  
• Equipment status, maintenance and asset management information across all worksite locations  
• Centralized reports and data logs for automated compliance  
• Intelligent mapping and zone segmentation, automated digital follow-ups, alarm sharing and heatmapping to help drive operation-wide safety  

With notifications available on both desktop and mobile devices, safety managers can get alerts when an alarm exposure or SOS event occurs. Other details such as GPS location, gas readings and compliance data are readily available within these immediate notifications. This information provides safety managers with additional visibility to help manage safety and productivity across multiple worksites at once, all from remote, off-site locations.  

5. How Can Wearable Technology Improve Compliance and Accountability Across an Organization? 

Advanced features of wearable, connected technologies for gas detection that can help simplify compliance are:  

• Automatic bump tests and calibration  
• Visual indicators with green, yellow and red lights representing “compliant,” “non-compliant” and “in alarm,” respectively  
• Device lockout to prevent inadvertent use of devices that are known to be out of compliance  
• Readily available historical data on specific workers  

This automated compliance can help support productivity across an organization’s workflows by helping to reduce false alarms, remove asset-related risks and lower the cost of downtime.  

6. What Level of Investment and Internal Resources Should an Organization Anticipate for Implementing New Wearable and Connected Technology Across Their Workers and Worksites? 

The overall level of investment and resources depends on the needs and size of each organization. With the latest technology often comes newer business model options to help drive your organization’s transformation to a connected safety program. Subscription models that include both detector hardware and software options can help enable faster implementation, along with increased warranty coverage and ongoing software and firmware upgrades.  

The right partner can help support your organization’s connected safety journey toward the right solution to fit your needs, from the number of wearables to various software options and features capabilities, giving you flexibility.  

A seamlessly integrated solution of connected wearables and cloud-based software can provide visibility of your workers, worksite and workflows that can make all the difference and help organizations drive a proactive safety culture over time. 

Photo credit: MSA Safety

This article originally appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.