Someone pinch me! It is 2023, and I’m still teaching HAZMAT, Hot Work, and PRCS courses, where most students use direct-reading instruments daily. And yet, none of them have ever been trained on the LIMITATIONS of the brand/model of direct-reading instruments they use. There are dozens of reasons why this is what it is, but this oversight of the critical tool we use to make life-and-death decisions is unacceptable.
Back in the day, when I learned about the limitations of the meters we were using, I was floored and then scared to learn just how little I knew as a safety engineer. I also considered all the courses I had trained workers on PRCS entry and never mentioned these critical limitations. But I had a Plant Manager who grew up in one of the top chemical companies in the world, and he taught me the following when it comes to LEL readings on our direct-reading instruments…
