Workers in Virginia who use electronic gas detectors in order to ensure a job safe environment often utilize pumps with those devices. The choice to use a monitor with or without a pump can have major implications for workplace safety and avoiding dangerous incidents. Using a gas monitor with a pump can help to increase safety for tasks involving the measurement or detection of combustible or toxic gases in the atmosphere. This is because a pump can help workers collect air from the environment in one place and assess it with the monitor in an area that is already known to be safe.
Therefore, using a pump can help to avoid exposing workers to flammable environments or contaminated air. When an employee uses a monitor in a safe location, they can decide that new areas are safe for moving forward without risking dangerous exposure. In some types of enclosed spaces, a pump is quite helpful to protect worker safety and define a clear path ahead.
Pumps help to improve safety for workers, especially in dangerous areas; however, they do not change the speed or sensitivity of a gas detector overall. Pumps can also have negative characteristics as well. For example, they are often heavy and large, making them difficult to carry for people working 12-hour days.
Safety is critically important in many workplaces where using gas monitors is a norm. Employees who have been injured in workplace incidents, including through exposure to toxic gases or smoke and fire, have the right to compensation for the damages suffered. A workers’ compensation attorney can help injured employees pursue their claims related to accidents and injuries on the job.