FIX800 5-Gas Detector Installation for a Natural Gas Storage Tank Construction Site — Confined Space Safety Monitoring with LTE IoT System (Ulsan)

Hello, this is RS Korea's Technical Sales Team. Technology continues to evolve, and while there are moments when we might wish that pace would slow down, once development accelerates it becomes very difficult to stop. When the pace of development outruns the pace of safety, problems and accidents that were not anticipated begin to occur, and countermeasures are then created to prevent and manage them. In Korea, this gap between development and safety is addressed through law: the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which we have discussed many times on the RS Korea blog, and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which has been one of the most talked-about topics in industrial safety over the past several years.

Article 618 of the Rules on Occupational Safety and Health Standards specifies the minimum gases that must be measured to prevent worker suffocation accidents in confined spaces: oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide (O2, CO, CO2, H2S). The Confined Space Worker Safety Guide distributed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor also recommends measuring explosive gas (LEL). Together, these five gases are commonly referred to as the five major gases for confined space safety.

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act imposes penalties not only on the individual responsible but also on the company itself when a death or serious injury occurs in the workplace due to a failure to comply with safety regulations. Article 7 also states, however, that this does not apply if the corporation or institution did not neglect reasonable care and supervision to prevent the violation. In other words, what RS Korea provides is a safety-and-IoT solution that helps protect workers, business owners, and workplaces alike, delivered simply and at a competitive cost. With that introduction out of the way, here is the project itself.

Project overview

Following our meeting, we exchanged around six suggestions for effective monitoring, and the final plan was confirmed as shown above. Installed products: an installed-type multi-gas detector, FIX800 (O2, CO, CO2, H2S, EX — 5 gases); a field status board, FIX-DS; and wireless IoT hardware, FIX-AP. Installation site: a natural gas storage tank construction site in Ulsan. Notes: the units were built as mobile-mount rather than fixed-mount, so the measuring position could move as construction progressed; since Wi-Fi, LAN, and RF communication were unavailable at the site, LTE communication via USIM was used instead, under a 3-year contract to match the construction period; and given the dusty environment, the electronic components were housed in a high-box enclosure. As preparation, since FIX-AP had already been installed and was operating normally at various other sites, we recreated the same communication environment in advance at our office, since setting up the LTE router for the first time is best done under controlled conditions.

We first checked the communication of the activated router. A stable connection was provided by running a LAN cable from the router to the FIX-AP. At the customer's request, all components were housed inside the high-box, using a tripod-style mounting method that is often requested at tunnel or construction sites — the gas detector FIX800 was placed at the front and the communication box at the back, to minimize cable length.

Arrival on site and safety training

Traveling from the Seoul metropolitan area to Ulsan in time for 7:30 a.m. safety training is no small undertaking, requiring a very early departure. Our team traveled down in advance, checked into accommodation, and completed the required safety training the next morning. One team member was found not fit for that day's physically demanding tasks after routine health checks, but this did not affect the installation, which was not scheduled to require his involvement at that stage.

Work site

As with our previous site visit and meeting, this trip also took place during typhoon season — Ulsan seems to greet us with rain nearly every time. Umbrellas cannot be used on site for safety reasons, most likely because they would obstruct visibility where heavy equipment is moving. Construction had progressed considerably since our first meeting, and it appeared that plans to line the inside wall of the tank with steel plate would make it difficult to secure the measuring instrument at that location.

After a final check of the installation location and confirming the work plan, we connected the FIX-AP, communication box, and measuring instrument to a temporary power source, and data was received normally. With the LTE router in place, the system could be connected from virtually anywhere. On some sites, security policies make it difficult to bring in a laptop, but since member and product registration had already been completed in advance at our office, no laptop was needed on site.

Installation work

By arranging an indoor status board, an outdoor status board, a central tank-side detector, and the FIX-AP together, workers can prepare for hazards that may arise during work, check conditions inside the site before entering, and allow real-time monitoring from a remote office or head office in another region. Considering the need to move equipment around the site, the status boards were mounted using cable ties rather than bolts. Since the detector itself was also a mobile-mount unit, we prepared extra cable length in advance, which meant less wall-mounting work with saddle clamps and significantly simplified the installation.

Installation completed and test run

Once power was connected, the measuring instrument, the two status board units, the FIX-AP, and the communication box were all configured to power on together. The work concluded with a final test confirming normal operation and alarm function.

In summary, the key points of this project were shortening the construction schedule through advance preparation, communication convenience through an LTE router, and flexibility secured through mobile-mount installation. As mentioned above, RS Korea provides solutions that help sites comply with both the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and we continue working to bring IoT capabilities to a range of fields beyond gas detection. Please feel free to contact our team any time — we are glad to help.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What gases does the FIX800 system measure at this site?

The system measures the five major gases required for confined-space safety: oxygen (O2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and explosive gas (EX/LEL).

Q2. Why was a mobile mount used instead of a fixed installation?

Because the measuring position needed to move as construction progressed, the units were built with a tripod-style mobile mount rather than a permanent fixed mount, and the status boards were secured with cable ties rather than bolts.

Q3. How does the system communicate without Wi-Fi or LAN at the site?

An LTE router using a USIM card was used, since Wi-Fi, LAN, and RF communication were not available on site, under a contract matching the multi-year construction period.

Q4. Can the monitoring data be checked remotely?

Yes. By combining an indoor status board, an outdoor status board, the tank-side detector, and the FIX-AP, real-time values can be monitored from a remote office or head office in another region.

Q5. What legal requirements does this kind of installation help address?

It supports compliance with the confined-space gas measurement requirements under Article 618 of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards, and helps demonstrate the duty of care required under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

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