Will IPREMS Top the LDARtools Knowledge Expert Leaderboard Again?

Last year, we had some of our attendees take an IQ test sprinkled with really interesting stuff about LDARtools. There were questions like “how many outs in an inning?” (The answer is NOT ‘3.’) and “how many chickens do we have?”

It was also fun to see how much our customers and family knew.

We’ve kept the leaderboard up for almost a year because it’s not just a list of the top 10 smartest people. The best part of the list is that it represents the history and the heart of LDARtools: the developers of phx21, computer programmers, patent lawyers, family members and LOTS of clients.

After all, that’s what LDARtools is all about.

One thing became very clear: IPREMS and TEAM were and are the LDARtools Think Tank knowledge experts. Jeff Diehl, Karl Shultz and Jennifer Bagott took three of the top 10 spots, with TEAM not too far behind. Who will lead this year? Can IPREMS be stopped?

Thanks to everyone who participated last year and making plans to be here again, on November 14!

  1. James Carlson, Patent Attorney (Everybody needs at least one!)
  2. Kevin Moses, Father of phx21 (LDARtools)
  3. Jeremy Bolinger, The (other) Father of phx21 (LDARtools)
  4. Jeff Diehl, IPREMS
  5. Cameron O’Keefe, Computer Programmer (LDARtools)
  6. Jesse Grice, TEAM
  7. Jennifer Bagott, IPREMS
  8. Nicola Richardson, Rex’s Sister
  9. Robert Williams, TEAM
  10. Karl Shultz, IPREMS
 leaderboard

countdown

/0 Comments/by

Rohm and Haas follows Dow’s Lead with Advanced Calibration Station

Derrick Mauk, LDARtools Support Specialist, recently worked with Bobby Dunlap, Guardian’s Field Supervisor, to complete a state-of-the-art calibration station for the Rohm and Haas facility in Deer Park, TX. With Daniel Warrington, Guardian’s Equipment Specialist, the trio finalized the installation of this extraordinary equipment.

The layout is based on a similar format developed by Mike Brown at the Dow facility in Plaquemine, LA.

calibration_station

As you can see from the image, the SpanBox3 is mounted at near eye-level for the easiest possible use. The gases and electricity is provided in the most orderly fashion, enabling an optimal calibration process.

Certainly, this is a step up from a hole in the wall through which the calibration gases pass. The best part is that it bears no resemblance to the disorderly array of gas bags, extension cords and penciled in forms on random clipboards.

Thanks to our customers, like Mike Brown, LaRisa King, Lori Carrizales and Bobby Dunlap, we can see how perfection flows from amazing!

/0 Comments/by

Introducing the LDAR Think Tank’s Tim Reynolds

Tim Reynolds joined LDARtools back in May when we were ramping up our phx21 production to meet the growing demand.

His experiences at NASA (18 years supporting astronaut training) and Baylor College of Medicine (11 years as Systems Admin/Lab Manager) taught him multitasking, essential machine shop skills, and increased technical experience with a variety of equipment and tools. He is in a unique position to help the LDAR Think Tank make and improve our devices.

Asked how it’s been so far, he says:

“It’s been great! We’re a small tight group that functions as a team. Everybody helps each other and the camaraderie is very visible. I like being recognized as an individual and not just a number.”

Tim enjoys SCUBA diving, improving his bush craft skills, and stomping around on his snowshoes at high-altitudes. Rex really likes the bumper sticker that he sports on the back of his yellow jeep: God bless our troops… especially the snipers.

tim_reynolds

/0 Comments/by

Full of Fun in the Fall at LDARtools

Hello Everyone!

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. August seems to have come and gone in the blink of an eye. Summer’s almost up and fall’s just around the corner.

With the change in seasons coming, we are extremely excited to announce the LDARtools’ Fall Festival 2014. This year’s festivities will be held on Friday, November 14. Last year was a blast and we are gearing up for even bigger celebration!

Stay posted for event updates as we get closer to November. We look forward to seeing you all there!

fallfest.png

/0 Comments/by

Making Confined Spaces “Safe Spaces” for LDAR

An LDAR Fairy Tale:

Once upon a time, an LDAR manager, while reviewing the monitoring records of a specific period, noticed some entries associated with components that he knew were in a Confined Space. Curious (as any LDAR manager should be), he wondered who the Fire Watch had been for one particular event. He tried to find the Confined Space Permit that was certainly issued that day for this entry and these components…

###Of course, you know that this is not a fairy tale at all. It is a nightmare. There was no Confined Space Permit issued for that day.

How does this happen? The potential answers vary:

  • The Innocent
    The Confined Space sign had been removed and the self-closing gate was out of order. The Technician had NO IDEA it was a Confined Space.
  • The Regrettable
    The Tech knew it was a Confined Space and went to the control room. The operator told her: “Never mind. We don’t really do that. Just monitor the stuff.”
  • The Outright Nefarious
    The Tech didn’t even know there was a confined space involved because he “monitored” these components from the air-conditioned cab of his F-250.

Regardless of the cause, it’s a potentially catastrophic failure of your LDAR program when Confined Space Components are not properly managed.

And, if your Technicians are carrying state-of-the-art Windows Mobile-enabled handhelds, it is TOTALLY PREVENTABLE.

You know which LDAR components are in each Confined Space. All you have to do is enable your software to identify these components and provide essential the prompts and assists to the Technician. At the same time, your software can be designed to PREVENT the Technician from entering a monitoring reading for any component in a Confined Space until AFTER the Confined Space entry protocol has been completed.

 

Imagine that the Technician is about to monitor Tag 17, one of six components in the Oxy1 Confined Space. Rather than being able to enter that monitoring event, she is presented with this screen on her handheld. This screen should SAY whatever you want the Technician to know, think or do before the Confined Space work is initiated. screen01
If you want the Technician to secure and record a Confined Space permit number, and then identify and secure a signature from a qualified Fire Watch, she would see this screen next: 2
Finally, the Technician would not be allowed to proceed past this screen until it was completely filled-in and a signature is captured. 3

With the right software and the right planning, your Confined Space LDAR program becomes more like the fairy tale with which we started. You and your team members can, as they say, live happily ever after.

For more information on how to use this LDARtools software feature, watch this tutorial video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hu1dVdYd3Y]

/0 Comments/by

Are we the LDAR “Think Tank” or “Fun Tank”?

Here at the LDAR Think Tank, we relish each opportunity to enhance our culture of fun.

Steve Probst of Sage Environmental, a LDARtools friend, nominated Kevin Moses (LDARtools’ Director of Operations) to take the Ice Bucket Challenge. For an excellent video and a good cause, Kevin raised the bar (really!) – just before he dumped the ice! Watch this clip for how it went:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cWez8lYiNI]The Ice Bucket challenge has captured our imagination and raised money for a number of charities. Challengers either dump a bucket of ice over their heads or skip the bucket and donate to a charity of their choice (or do both).

Kevin donated to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute and nominated John Cermenaro, Alan Matta and Thomas Canter.

BONUS:

Here’s Alan’s video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RczDbVNYeyI]
Thanks for letting us use the video, Alan!

/0 Comments/by

LDARtools Adds a New Name to the Roster

Surprised by the flurry of activity in the LDARtools blog?

There’s more where that came from as we welcome a new member to the LDAR Think Tank: John Melegrito, our new Knowledge Coordinator. He’s been plugging away writing content on the web page and editing our manuals to include all the updates and upgrades we’ve been working on. He’s also working on several (super-secret) projects that we’re sure you’ll see in the months to come.

John hails from the Philippines and has worked in the publishing industry for the Philippine edition of Men’s Health magazine and the IT industry as a Content Specialist for Trend Micro, one of the top antivirus companies in the world.

John is very delighted to be a part of the LDAR family: “Every day’s a learning experience! Understanding the LDAR industry from monitoring and safety to the tools and programs that we use has been really interesting. I’m looking forward to supporting LDARtools in Perfecting the Amazing.”

He has settled in Texas with his wife, Ellen. They are eager to share the American Dream with the newest member of their family who is scheduled to be born on March 3, 2015.

/0 Comments/by

LDAR Safety is ALWAYS a Priority

How often should LDAR Technicians stop and think about safety during their monitoring activities?

Historically, this has been a matter of wishful, hopeful thinking. Or, more often, it has been a moment of agonizing awareness AFTER an accident has happened:

“What do we have to do for you to spend a moment and remember that this area you’re standing in isn’t like the other places you go to?”

The good news is that by placing a powerful computer in the Technician’s hand (for monitoring and MOC activities), you have created the opportunity to have a real influence on their safety. With properly designed software you can, literally, reach into the flow of the Technician’s work process and trigger a safety awareness moment—whenever you want to and as frequently as you feel necessary.

Imagine that every 90 minutes, the screen on the handheld informs the Technician that it is time to stop and think about safety. They’re asked to identify any specific hazards and/or report any issue that might require research or resolution. You can establish the frequency of these safety moments, create a framework for the Technician’s thought process and provide the means for recording the results.
You can use a screen like the one on the right and at the same time, you can further simplify it. Use a dropdown list that describes what the Technician is doing!
(There’s no reason to make a nuisance out of yourself!)

A textbox is also useful and allows the Technician to describe what she sees AND indicate the presence of any safety condition that needs to be resolved:

  • A loose gate at the top of a ladder
  • A dangerous puddle in a critical place
  • Tall grass during snake-hunting season

As important as having these features available, you should also be able to review these reports and close the feedback loop with the Technicians at the end of the day or during your next safety meeting.

Software, running on these new, powerful handhelds can make that possible.

Or you can just keep hoping, wishing and, unfortunately, regretting.

/0 Comments/by

LDARtools is reaching new heights

LDARtools climbs higher and higher!

A few weeks ago, Kevin Moses (Director of Operations), Kevin’s wife Marijane and our very own Erica Gentry (Inside Sales & Purchasing Manager) climbed Mount Bierstadt, near Denver, to take a breather from the bustle of the LDAR Think Tank. Taking essential mountain climbing gear with them, they scaled the 14,000-foot mountain in the Front Range region of the Rocky Mountains. Kevin and Erica also brought a handy tool that’s coming soon to the LDAR industry: the Archer 2.

Now, they didn’t have any components to monitor or tag all the way up in Clear Creek County, Colorado. However, they used the other nifty features that come standard in the new iteration of our favorite PDA. Here are a couple of quotes we got from the hiking duo:

Kevin:
“We used the GPS to navigate to the top, as well as log our climb. We were also pleasantly surprised with the pictures the OPTIONAL camera took.”

kevin-mountain

Erica:
“The screen on the Archer 2 was very easy to read in the sun, even though the sun was extra bright at 14,000 feet.”

Erica-mountain

The rugged Archer 2 continues to prove useful in and out of the LDAR field. Do you have other gadgets that you can take with you for work and leisure?

/0 Comments/by

Smart Job Safety / Hazard Analysis (JSA) Process

The PDA is a bane or a boon out in the field depending on how it is used. Proper discipline can curb the safety issues it may cause, but the PDA’s potential for good is enhanced when it is utilized to keep the Technician safe from harm. The Job Safety / Hazard Analysis process is one of the key points that can harness the power of this compact marvel in the palm of the Technician’s hands.

caution

LDARtools Director of Operations, Kevin Moses, suggests guidelines on how to improve the safety of your Technicians on the field with one of their most essential tools.

Here’s a peek at the document:

Most sites have a routine Job Safety / Hazard Analysis process: a review of a wide array of work factors and considerations, then documented on the JSA form. The form catalogs the Technician’s disciplined and organized assessment of the hazards and risks that she is likely to encounter in the area where she would be working and the tasks that she would be performing.

It is a remarkable tool when it is employed properly. When done haphazardly, it is less worthwhile and might even be counterproductive.

Download a copy of Smart Job Safety / Hazard Analysis (JSA) Process Technical Paper and stay committed to the safety and efficiency of your LDAR program.

/0 Comments/by