Why is it Vital to Monitor Oxygen in LN₂ Areas?

February 25, 2016Continuous Monitoring BlogBy Dacota O'Malley

Did you know that Oxygen (O₂) monitoring in LN₂ areas is an OSHA and JHACO (Joint Commission) requirement?

What are the dangers of LN₂?

Many facilities will have a room with LN₂ – which can be lethal. Nitrogen gas is lighter than air, so you should know before you enter a room that O₂ levels are low. Oxygen sensors are needed in production areas in case the LN₂ were to leak. Nitrogen rapidly displaces oxygen in the room, which can cause workers to pass out if not notified.

How do you know your production areas are safe while you are away?

Do you already have an O₂ sensor in place? Is it tied to a monitoring system? If you are using your own O₂ sensors, please be cautious. Likely, the O₂ sensor will only alarm locally, and if you are not a 24/7 facility this could still be an ineffective notification tool. To feel completely confident that your employees and production areas are safe, we strongly recommend, and in some instances mandate, the implementation of an O₂ sensor inside the room with an alert lamp on the outside of the room for visual alerting before employees enter a compromised room.

With Mesa’s Environmental Monitoring Systems, you know you are 100% covered because the O₂ sensors integrate with the system. You can receive call, e-mail or test alerts, in addition to an on-location alert lamp for local notification before employees enter the room.

Can this happen to me?

Yes. We have seen this happen before, where LN₂ systems can fail without notice. This happens much more easily without protocols in place for when a facility is closed or employees are away. Having the proper procedures in place can prevent an extremely dangerous situation for employees when they return to the facility.

This situation can happen more than we may think. It can happen when:

LN₂ tanks get refilled. – The drivers are supposed to bleed the pressure out to a normal level, but sometimes this doesn’t happen properly and the LN₂ can then leak.
a valve is left open.
there is user error.

For further information on the dangers of LN₂, and to learn how to protect your facility, contact a Mesa Labs representative today.

Written in collaboration with Alex Keiser, Mesa Labs Representative.

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About the author

Dacota O'Malley

Dacota has been with Mesa for over a year, starting in our Continuous Monitoring division and bringing her expertise over to the Marketing Department in early 2015, coordinating and composing Blogs, Newsletters and various written communications throughout all divisions.