If you have workers operating in ATEX areas and are wondering how best to protect them should they have an accident, you’ve come to the right place.
Intrinsically safe environments (ATEX) contain flammable gas, mists or vapours, or combustible dust in the air. These areas are common in the Oil and Gas industry as well as other sectors like Mining, Pharmaceutical, Beverage and Flour Milling too.
Intrinsically safe areas are considered hazardous because just a small spark could cause an explosion, which could stem from mechanical, electrical or even battery-operated equipment. As a result, only ATEX certified equipment that is deemed safe should be used.
This includes telecoms and lone worker handsets which must be kept outside the intrinsically safe areas unless they’re ATEX approved.
Most mobile workers need some form of mobile comms device (e.g. smartphone, radio or DECT) to help them manage day to day issues on the spot. These mobile handsets also offer some protection for workers operating alone too, giving them a means to contact and report incidents to colleagues. Of course, some incidents happen so quickly that workers don’t have time to dial numbers or wait for calls to be connected. This is where SOS buttons and man-down sensors provide further protection and reassurance to workers, especially when alarms contact local responders that can come and support them quickly. (For more information about lone working click here.)
You can opt for separate ATEX lone worker and comms devices, however, as ATEX devices come at a premium, it makes sense to look for devices that combine this functionality in one dual purpose handset.
Below is a list of ATEX approved equipment that can protect staff working alone. The top device is a dedicated lone worker handset, whereas the others are dual functioning and allow users to collaborate with colleagues too.
Atlas ATEX Protector
The ATEX Protector is a dedicated 2G, 4G lone worker device. It is easy to use and has a large SOS button that enables workers to raise emergency alarms. It also has man-down functionality and will initiate automatic alarms in man-down situations.
The device can receive telephone calls and there are four buttons on the front that can each be programmed with a pre-defined telephone number – just like a speed dial.
ATEX protector is ideal for workers that don’t need an EX mobile handset or already have one. Also requires critical alarm management system like Aspect Link that distribute alerts.
HP795 EX Radio 
Radio provides workers with the ability to collaborate with colleagues on-the-go. Users simply push a button on their radio handset to broadcast their message to the team, who can respond in the same way. This can prove handy when needing support to fix or maintain equipment in an intrinsically safe area.
With additional equipment, users can also make external calls and receive up-to-date plant messages / alarms to their radio to help them manage events effectively across the site and in ATEX zones.
The HP795 EX also has a dedicated SOS button and man-down functionality that provides protection to workers operating alone in remote areas like ATEX zones.
Alarms are distributed directly to their colleagues’ radio handsets who can discuss the incident and respond accordingly. With additional equipment alarms can be sent to external parties’ smartphones and to a dispatcher PC operating within a control room.
Radios can operate back-to-back or with little infrastructure making them quick and easy to deploy.
DECT d83EX
With DECT, users can make and receive internal and external calls, enabling them to respond to events throughout a site.
Multiple users can all be on a call at the same time, without blocking the system and is suitable for long one-to-one calls as well as one-to-many with PTT functionality.
This makes it ideal in ATEX areas where users may require support from colleagues or external suppliers to help them fix or maintain a piece of equipment. Without moving from the spot, they can receive step-by-step instructions helping them to resolve issues faster, first time round.
Like radio, with additional equipment like NovaAlert, critical messages can be delivered to DECT handsets to help manage events more effectively.
Handsets also have dedicated SOS buttons and tilt sensors to protect lone workers in case they also need to raise an alarm in the event of an emergency incident.
DECT handsets carry no security risk unlike smartphones, are easier to maintain and tend to last much longer before needing to be replaced.
ATEX Smartphone
EX smartphones like the Atlas EX710 have a dedicated SOS button and with the Atlas SOS app converts it into to a powerful safety device protecting users in case of man-down.
Users are not only contactable by phone but email too and with additional equipment can receive up-to-date plant information delivered directly to their smartphone too.
Workers operating in intrinsically safe areas can take photos and videos of faulty equipment, share them with colleagues to analyse before being talked through how to fix or repair equipment using facetime – all without moving from the spot.
Smartphones are quick to deploy and are multi-functional. Choose from hundreds of apps to help improve workforce productivity, safety and compliance.
Summary
Dedicated lone worker devices are a good option for workers that don’t need a comms handset or already have one in place.
However, where possible adopting dual or multi-functional devices (like Radio, DECT or Smartphones) are a better long-term strategy. Lone Worker incidents rarely happen so it makes sense to combine these safety features with comms handsets that users depend on to do their job, are regularly used throughout the day and are familiar with and know how to use.
Doing so also means users carry one device to carry and to charge and the business only has one device to purchase, maintain and dispose of at the end of its life. Not only is this far more cost effective but better for the environment as it uses less energy and produces less waste.
Want to know more? Get in touch with us today. We’d love to demonstrate how the technology could help you, answer questions and provide pricing. You can find all our details by clicking on the “contact us” tab at the top of this page.
