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RKI Instruments isn't a sexy company. They don't spend their money on fancy marketing handouts or ad campaigns, and they often name their instruments after the year they were launched. So why do so many companies prefer RKI gas detectors to all others? Maybe it's because their products flat-out work, and continue to work (properly cared for) for years and years. RKI Instruments has been in business for 20 years and produces some of the most sophisticated gas monitoring devices on the ma …

Let's face it, people don't read so much anymore. That's why OSHA has decided to put more pictorgrams and fewer blocks of tiny, difficult-to-read text in their new Safety Data Sheets (SDS). SDS will replace the traditional Material Safety and Data Sheets (MSDS). See? Fewer words in the title as well. OHSA has transitioned to the new SDS format in order to provide workers with clear representation of the dangers, safe handling, and use of hazardous chemicals. Their hope is the new format …

Ventilation is one of the central pillars of confined space safety. Fumes, vapors, and volatile organic compounds accumulate and create an atmosphere that is not conducive to breathing. And I think we can all agree that breathing is a central pillar of living. OSHA calls ventilation one of the most important engineering controls available to maintain a safe work environment. We agree. And we've got a number of smart ways to accomplish replacing the atmosphere of your toxic environme …

The two things we hear most about the 8 inch ECKO K2025 Blower and Ducting Combo is that it works great and you can't beat the price. And really, what else do you want? You need a good warranty? The motor has a 1 year complete warranty. So check that one off the list. It's also lightweight and easy to carry. At only 38 lbs. it's pretty svelte. But the feature that makes it manageable is the built-in handles. Both the blower and the attached canister have big, easy to grip handles tha …

While this confined space entry video is strictly about a rank beginner, the gear the confined space training facility at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) uses is exactly the type of equipment we offer at pksafety.com. The spot features an attractive local news anchor facing her fear of confined spaces. Spoiler alert - she doesn't freak out even a tiny bit. The TEEK campus features state of the art emergency preparedness facilities and is home to the Texas Task Force …

Ventilation is the number one way for workers to control and disperse hazardous atmospheres in a confined space. For this discussion, the prime objective in ventilating a confined or enclosed space is to render it safe for workers. To reach this level of safety three requirements must be met. If your ventilation unit is too small to handle the job, a safe atmosphere can't be maintained, and workers should not be permitted to enter. Let's go over our atmospheric checklist before we ge …

Radios just don't work in confined spaces. Cell phones? If your local carrier is like mine, it isn't reliable above ground, much less down below, or in heavy metal environments. Yelling? Please. If yelling worked, you wouldn't be reading this. Tugging on a rope or banging on a pipe are also terrible ways to pass information back and forth, especially in an emergency. The only viable answer is a hardline communication system. And nobody provides a better product than Con-Space Communication …

Construction welders regularly need to enter confined spaces in boilers, tanks, or pressure vessels to perform repairs or during the manufacturing process. Both MIG welding and TIG welding use inert gas that's heavier than air and that has the potential to displace oxygen and create a major hazard for the welder. Because of the inadequate ventilation of confined spaces, the heavy gas has the potential to literally submerge a worker. And because it's colorless and tasteless, it's easy to mis …

Some say there are only two types of confined spaces: Those you've been in before, and those you haven't. And while things can certainly change even in spaces you've entered a thousand times, the need for solid anchorage is a constant. The anchorage connectors section of our site provides a range of options from permanant concrete D-ring anchors to quick and easy tie-off adapters. Because so much is literally riding on the anchorage equipment you choose, all the gear we offer i …

It's a no-brainer. When it comes to choosing the right ventilator for confined space work, it needs to do three things really well: Move large amounts of air Be lightweight Be simple to use How does one go about shopping for these bad boys? Look no further cause we found "The One" in the  ECKO K30 blower/ventilator from Euramco. Unlike traditional blowers with their easily dented metal housings, the portable ECKO K30's corrosive and UV resistant polyethylene …