Safety showers in industrial facilities provide first-line emergency treatment for employees that have come in contact hazardous materials. They are normally combined with eye-wash stations for emergency treatment for eyes. In virtually every instance where an employee has triggered the use of a safety-shower or eye-wash station, that employee will be in need of help and assistance for further treatment. Rapid assistance is often critical in minimizing or mitigating any potential injury and getting help to an injured employee can often make the difference between a serious injury and a minor incident.

Unfortunately, the cost to install wired monitoring switches to multiple safety-showers in a major production plant can be extremely expensive. Wiring monitoring switches entails the cost of running the wires to the switches in the field, often through areas classified as Class I, Div I or Class I, Div II. Wired switches also entail the expense of dedicating individual discrete inputs into plant DCS systems. These costs rapidly add up. One recent facility estimated the costs for wiring safety-showers to be over $4,000 per point. Per point monitoring costs are generally reduced by 75% using wireless sensors compared to hard wire.

A brief summary of this safety application will be reviewed along with other safety application using wireless instrumentation such as steam trap monitoring, on/off valve positioning, overfill protection, control valve status and pressure and temperature monitoring. This applications survey is intended to show that wireless solutions do have a place in the toolbox for those involved with plant safety and, when properly applied, this technology will solve difficult measurement problems not presently served with wired instrumentation or captured at all.