When you need gas detectors, and need them quickly, the most efficient and effective route is to rent. When speed is critical, gas detectors can be readied and delivered the very next day—or even the same day—in some cases. Whether the driving factor is a natural disaster, an accident, or just an overlooked or unplanned turnaround or outage, turning to gas detector rental may be your best option.
Natural Disasters
As anyone in the Gulf Coast can tell you, storms such as hurricanes or tornados can have a devastating effect on the operations of a refinery, chemical plant, or any other business. In some cases, the gas detectors owned by the plant are destroyed or inoperable due to the flooding and other issues associated with storms.
Another instance in which gas detector rental makes sense is when covering for temporary fixed systems. In some cases, power is not available to run fixed point gas monitors that are typically running continuously while a plant is operational. Renting area monitors to fill in until the fixed systems are back online is effective, but for best results, rent area monitors with long run times.
Gas detectors are a crucial safety tool to not only protect the emergency crew responding to the event, but also to protect the maintenance teams who are working to get the plant up and running again. Rentals provide a quick and easy solution and can assist in getting the plant back on its feet.
Hazmat situations
First responders typically have standard gas detection equipment to cover them during their response calls. However, what happens when there is a need to detect a gas for which they do not have a sensor? For example, if there is a chlorine or ammonia spill, and cleanup and remediation is needed, a standard 4-gas monitor would not do the trick. A chlorine or ammonia detector is needed, but may only be needed for a day or week. These types of gas detectors are more expensive to buy and maintain than your average H2S or 4-gas monitor. Renting, in this instance, is paramount as speed of receiving it is most likely a concern and most rentals come freshly calibrated. Local rental facilities may be able to provide these rentals immediately. In some cases, a day of lead time may be required.
Unplanned or forgotten turnaround/outage
It’s happened to all of us—our days are filled with tasks and activities that require our precise attention to detail. Everything is checked off the list, but somewhere down the line, the extra (or different) gas detectors needed for the job didn’t make the list. Now the turnaround starts tomorrow and 50 maintenance workers need gas detectors ASAP!
What about unplanned shutdowns? Not every outage provides advanced notice or planning time. Sometimes turnarounds/shutdowns/outages arise immediately. Whether it’s one that “got away” or one that quickly became a reality, renting gas detection equipment is probably going to be your fastest avenue. When it comes to covering your unexpected gas detector needs, timing is everything. Who can you rely on to provide gas detectors in the moment? Think about rental for emergencies, turnarounds, or shutdowns, and put your rental providers to the test.
Jason Wright is the Rental Sales Manager at Industrial Scientific. He can be reached at 412-788-0400 (x1912) or jwright@indsci.com. To learn more about Industrial Scientific’s rental options, visit http://www2.indsci.com/bicrental
