More than half of the oil and gas industry safety professionals who took a recent survey conducted by Dräger and the American Society of Safety Engineers indicated they were not aware of new hydrogen sulfide (H2S) exposure limits recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. The gas detection manufacturer released the results of “The 1ppm (parts per million) Hydrogen Sulfide Threshold: Are you prepared?” survey this week.
Dräger reported that 53 percent of the safety professionals surveyed were unaware of the new standards, which are:
In addition, the survey showed that 76 percent of these professionals felt there is no urgency to adopt the new standards, and their companies use a variety of alarm levels: 39 percent use 10 ppm and 15 ppm; 35 percent use 5 ppm and 10 ppm; and 15 percent use 10 ppm and 20 ppm. “Of those companies that have not adopted the new ACGIH guidance, only 24 percent have adjusted their H2S limits within the last three years. Moreover, only 34 percent anticipate adjusting their current H2S limits in the near future,” according to the company’s news release.
The new ACGIH standards are voluntary, not mandatory, but are widely accepted.