Cost of Ownership
The cost of ownership for portable gas detection is often overlooked and as a result ongoing service costs including, replacement sensors and damage caused by water ingress and dust prove at times expensive. Before purchasing a fleet of portable gas instruments for your requirements be aware that the price of less expensive equipment is often misleading when taking into consideration the overall cost of ownership.
A recent cost comparison was undertaken for a major stakeholder within the water industry. The client performs confined space work and has a current fleet of 15 portable gas monitors.
The criteria for the cost comparison based on regular bump testing, calibration and servicing requirements for the total of the 15 portable gas instruments over a 5- year warranty period.
Considerations
- Bump test time for MSA Altair 10 seconds – cost of gas per test approximately $0.43c
- Calibration time 60 seconds- cost of gas per test approximately $2.56
- Instrument and Sensor Warranty 5 years
- Reduction in gas used due to efficiency of the GX2 Calibration Station
- Record keeping capabilities for all bump test ad calibration reports
- Automatic programming for instrument calibration due to bump test failures
- Networking option and real-time monitoring for fleet management
- Intrinsically safe instrument
The cost comparison is based on 6 monthly servicing and cost of calibration and daily bump testing per manufacturer recommendations and is compliant with AS 2865-2009: Gas Detectors- Selection, Use Care and Maintenance and AS 2865-2009: Australian Confined Space Standard reference AS/NZS 60079. The result demonstrated a cost-saving of over $8,000 per annum.
Conclusion
Whilst safety remains the deciding factor in presenting our recommendation, we present the cost comparison and summary to determine the best value for your immediate and ongoing requirements and providing long term cost savings when using the best equipment.
