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Source TeSTing ASSociATion | Annual Guide 2014 10 approved 'Risk Assessment – Industrial Emissions Monitor ing' training course at an approved provider and ideally carry a CCNSG Safety Passport. As a process operator you will no doubt have your own health and safety procedure, inductions, permit to work etc. All work proposed by your contractor should have a Risk Assessment and Method Statement. It may be a routine stack test, but it is also a commercial service that contractors look to market and sell. What added value can your contractor provide over and above what is required? Whilst there are strict requirements on what can and can't be provided as part of the service, I don't believe that stack testing is just a commodity. Are you getting any thing over and above just a stack test? A contractor should be able to give you the support that you need, rather than just providing you with some data from their tests. What ever your concerns are, remember, an experienced contractor will have probably seen it before elsewhere. I discussed earlier about how accredited contractors can honour your requirements. Well, if you have approached numerous companies and they all look like they can do the job to meet your needs, how else can you differentiate? Whilst it is true to say that most emissions monitoring con tractors are generalists rather than specialists, it is also true to say that they have sectors or processes which they test more frequently. ere is no substitute for experience. It is worth considering using a contractor that has experience in your specific industry or similar types of site. Applying methodologies can vary dependent upon process/stack con ditions; testing for particulate matter from a power station economizer is quite different from a spray coating booth exhaust. e monitoring standard and test methodologies may be the same, but there are sitespecific factors that can differ wildly; physical conditions in the stack – for example temperature or moisture content, or stack access issues. A contractor with experience on your kind of site/process may be a better bet. Talk to other similar companies that you may know. Who do they use? What do they think? ere are other reasons besides regulatory compliance for requiring air emissions measurement. One is process opti misation. Learning about your process settings can lead to increased profitability. Why pay good money for raw materials or fuel and emit significant amounts to air? How high can I turn up the process whilst still staying comfort ably within my emission limits? A good contractor with both relevant industrial experience and academic qualifica tions is a positive boon in these circumstances. Another situation where these attributes can be invaluable is product development. is can be a completely new product, the use of new raw materials or an amended production tech nique. A contractor who has an in depth knowledge of monitoring techniques could be vital in design of monitor ing trials that yield pertinent data that avoids, for example, costly installation of inappropriate abatement systems. In deed your monitoring contractor will have seen many abatement systems in action and could be a good source of advice on what type of system is appropriate for your needs. How quickly can you get my sampling done and reported is a common question that I am asked, generally by opera tors that have left things until the last minute. A flexible contractor should listen to your needs and be able to design a schedule appropriate to your needs. Perhaps though your choice should be based on more factors than who can turn up the quickest. It may not be the most exciting thing that you have to organise this year, but it is an important one. Please give yourself the time to make the right decision for you. e last few months of the year are usually the busiest for stack sampling contractors. is is for a number of reasons including the proximity of the approaching reporting deadline. If your process operates at a suitable rate in the summer months why not have your monitoring done then: it will give you time to make a considered choice of contractor. What happens when the scope of work changes at the last minute/halfway through a project? eoretically this shouldn't happen because the work required is detailed in the Site Specific Protocol. We don't live in a theoretical world and circumstances can change quickly due to produc tion requirements or equipment breakdown. Will your contractor understand and adapt to cope with the changed situation? is is more likely to be the case if you have developed an ongoing relationship with your contractor. Will the contractor make contact with you to check that you have received and understood report? Will they ask if you need to discuss any aspect of the project? A contractor should be able to give you the support that you need, rather than just providing you with some data from their tests ▲ » STA Article 3 WP.indd 10 05/02/2014 19:47 ISO17025 Accredited Mixtures To complete the offer we have a comprehensive range of ISO17025 Accredited Gas Mixtures and Gas Control Equipment. Visit our website: www.uk.airliquide.com A member of To test us: Call 01782 822061, fax 01782 826850, email specgas.ALUK@airliquide.com Readily Available Stock Mixtures for the UK Stack Emissions Monitoring Market Off the Shelf Stock Mixtures and Pures available today: l Wide range of Common Calibration Gas Mixtures l HCl Calibration Gases l Pure Gases l FID Fuel Gases l FID Control Gas l Latest Span Gas – 10% O 2 , 9 ppm C 3 H 8 in N 2 L10 Above products are provided with the repeatable quality that is synonymous to Air Liquide. Compliant with the reference methods required in the Stack Emissions Monitoring market. Gas Matrix Concentration Relative Uncertainty Range (95% level of confidence) Binary Gas Mixtures Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen or Air 10ppm – 20% +/-1% Carbon Dioxide Nitrogen or Air 10ppm – 20% +/-1% Methane Nitrogen or Air 1ppm – 100ppm +/-1% (<10ppm +/-2%) Propane Nitrogen or Air 1ppm – 3% +/-1% Sulphur Dioxide Nitrogen 20 – 5000ppm +/-1% Nitrogen Dioxide Nitrogen 3 - 1000ppm +/-1% (<100ppm +/-2%) Nitric Oxide Nitrogen 1 – 2500ppm +/-1% (<5ppm +/-2%) Oxygen Nitrogen 1 – 25% +/-1% Quaternary Gas Mixtures Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen 0.2 – 5% +/-1% Carbon Dioxide 1.5 – 18% +/-1% Propane 150 – 1000ppm +/-2% Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen 0.2 – 5% +/-1% Carbon Dioxide 1.5 – 18% +/-1% Propane 1000 – 5000ppm +/-1% AL0831 STA A4 Advert 2014_Layout 1 15/11/2013 16:42 Page 1 STA p11.indd 11 05/02/2014 19:44

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