Overview
Most confined space fatalities are not caused by the absence of equipment. They are caused by detection that never reaches the person who needs it. A gas detector beeps inside the space while the attendant is twenty metres away and the safety manager sees nothing until the report is filed.
The Confined Space Entry Monitoring Station is built around closing that gap. It consolidates multi-modal communication, atmospheric sensing, vital-sign monitoring and video surveillance into a single case, then routes every threshold breach to three parties at once — entrant, attendant and remote supervisor.
It is designed for permit-required confined space entry in municipal pipe networks, chemical storage tanks, cable tunnels, sewage wells, underground utility tunnels and similar spaces where atmospheric hazard and rescue difficulty combine. Deployment takes minutes: the internal unit goes inside, the external unit sits at the entry point, the two are joined by a single cable.
Key features
Permit and workflow control
Entry permits, method statements, pre-job briefing, emergency drill records and corrective actions are all raised and approved online. No approved permit, no entry — enforced by the system rather than by habit.
Entrant authorisation and headcount
Wristband-only, wristband plus identity check, or wristband plus facial verification. The system counts who is inside, flags over-occupancy, and raises an alert the moment a shift runs past its permitted duration.
Vital-sign monitoring
The entrant's wristband reports heart rate and blood oxygen continuously. A single-press SOS lets a worker call for help when they are still able to, which is often a very short window.
Atmospheric monitoring with linked alarm
Oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and combustible gas are sampled continuously. On threshold breach the gas detector, wristband, entry monitor and cloud platform all alarm together — not independently.
Video surveillance and two-way audio
Attendants and managers watch the live feed and speak directly to the entrant to stop an unsafe act while it is happening, instead of writing it up afterwards.
Tool and equipment accountability
Tools are tagged and logged in and out. Anything still inside the space triggers an alert before the entry point is closed — a routine omission that turns into a recovery operation surprisingly often.
Technical specification
| Remote communication | 4G public network, 5G private network or Wi-Fi |
|---|---|
| Power supply | Rechargeable lithium-ion pack, ≥ 8 h runtime; automatic AC (220 V / 50 Hz) and DC switchover |
| Alarm | Audible and visual |
| Communication distance | 8 m standard cable between internal and external units; up to 100 m supported |
| Weight | Approximately 12 kg including internal equipment |
| Dimensions | 490 × 360 × 220 mm |
| Controller | On-device acquisition and processing; local display and remote transmission |
| External interface | Third-party platform integration supported |
| Display | 10.1" touchscreen, 1280 × 800 |
| Explosion protection | Ex ib IIC T4 Gb |
| Sampling method | Pump-suction, 0.6–1 L/min; optional 8 m sampling hose with pre-treatment filter |
|---|---|
| Gases monitored | O₂, CO, H₂S and combustible gas (LEL) by default; custom sensors available |
| Maximum permissible error | ≤ ±3 % F.S. (higher accuracy available on request) |
| Response time | ≤ 25 s |
| Stabilisation time | ≤ 25 min from cold start |
| Explosion protection | Ex ia IIC T4 Gb |
| Ingress protection | IP65 |
Where it is used
| Power generation | Drain sumps, sewage wells, collection pits, deaerators, condensers, turbine cylinders, generators, furnace chambers, flues, precipitators, FGD absorbers, limestone silos, storage tanks, water tanks H₂S poisoning, methane explosion, oxygen deficiency, CO poisoning, dust explosion |
|---|---|
| Oil, gas and chemical | Reactors, storage tanks, process piping, flues, columns and towers, waste water pits, collection pits, silos Solvent vapour poisoning, asphyxiation, CO poisoning, dust explosion, flammable vapour flash |
| Municipal networks | Sewage wells, underground trenches, heating wells, power wells, boilers, waste water ponds, culverts, utility tunnels, civil defence works H₂S poisoning, oxygen deficiency, methane explosion |
| Power grid | Cable trenches, cable tunnels, deaerators, condensers, sewage wells, collection pits, acid and alkali tanks, oil tanks, switchgear rooms, cable interlayers Oxygen deficiency, toxic gas, H₂S poisoning, combustible gas explosion |
| Construction | Hand-dug piles, underground trenches, inspection wells, boiler rooms, pump stations, pressure vessels, waste water ponds, drainage wells, lift shafts Oxygen deficiency, H₂S, methane explosion |
Patents and certifications
Frequently asked questions
What gases does the station monitor?
Oxygen, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and combustible gas (LEL) by default. Up to four sensors can be fitted as standard and other gases can be specified, so the configuration is matched to the spaces you actually operate rather than a fixed list.
Does it need a mobile signal to work?
No. Inside the space, the internal unit communicates with the gas detection dome and wristbands over LoRa 2.4 GHz, so it keeps working in the signal dead zones typical of tunnels, culverts and pipe galleries. The external unit, connected to the internal unit by cable (8 m standard, up to 100 m), handles the 4G uplink. 5G private networks and Wi-Fi are also supported.
How is this different from simply buying a gas detector?
A gas detector measures the atmosphere. This station also manages the people and the permit — who entered, when, for how long, what their vital signs are, and which tools went in. A detector that alarms inside a space with no route back to the attendant is a recorder, not a control.
Can it integrate with our existing safety platform?
Yes. The station exposes interfaces for third-party platform integration and supports on-premise deployment, so data can remain inside the plant network. Many operators keep the monitoring station as the field layer and feed our platform, or their own, above it.
Which standard does this support for permit-required confined space entry?
The station is designed to give you the audit trail that permit-required confined space programmes demand: atmospheric records, entrant logs, attendant records, alarm history and permit approvals, all time-stamped and exportable. Share the standard you are audited against and we will confirm the mapping.