You may have seen this latest and greatest “detection method” in your junk mail, pop-up ads, or in a search of the internet. These tapes work and they work well in my experiences, but as with any product, there are some serious drawbacks that one must understand before using these products. Before I get into specifics, know that the addition of these tapes to your process safety program should be done via a well-executed Management of Change (MOC). This MOC should also cause us to develop an SOP for its application and maintenance and to conduct some training on this new “detection method” (e.g. may require us to update our Emergency Action Plan’s procedures for handling small releases). We may also want to revise our Contractor Safety Orientation so as to be sure our contractors working in, on, and even adjacent to our process have the knowledge of what this tape means and how to report any indicators they may come across in their work. With that said, here are some serious matters to consider when implementing this change to our leak detection methods:
Chemical detection tape – the pro’s and con’s?
