Breathing Set ( SCBA ), HSE Tips

Before you put the SCBA on the shoulder make sure you check as follows: OLAC

( O ) Stands for Open the cylinder.

( L ) Stands for Look at the Pressure Guage for enough compressed air.

( A ) Stands for Allow Air Passage to the Mask utilizing the bypass valve.

Please keep your eyes on the pressure gauge. If the pointer moves fast towards the zero, we conclude that the regulator or pressure reducer is not working properly. In normal situations it takes an average of half an hour for the pressure to drop from the standard 220BAR to the ZERO. 

( C ) Connect the mask to the face.

Important questions and answers: 

1- How do I know for how many minutes will the SCBA serve me 

The normal adult utilizes an average of 40 liters of air per minute.

The standard pressure in a 7-liter bottle is 220 BAR. It means 220 times the atmospheric pressure ( as if we repeated the filling of the bottle with 7 liters of air successively for 220 times) .

Air stored in a bottle = pressure x volume 

Air stored in a bottle = 220 x 7 = 1540 litres 

1540 liters will be divided by the rate of consumption of air per minute which is 40 yielding 38.5 minutes.

2- How do I verify whether the SCBA is leaking or not?

3- How to avoid being panic? 

The answer of question 2 and 3 are as follows : 

1- Before you wear the mask make sure that straps are loose.

2- When you put on the mask you start inhaling immediately to activate air flow.

3- to avoid being panic, please hold your breathing for 10 seconds.

4- During the 10 second of no breathing, you carefully listen to whistling sound which is your clue for the presence of leakage.

The alarm of the SCBA rings when the pressure in the cylinder drops to 50 Bar and continues ringing down to above zero. When you listen to the alarm you have limited air in the cylinder which is calculated by the equation 

50 Bar x the volume of the cylinder.

If the cylinder is 7 liters then the amount of air at 50 BAR when you listen to the alarm is 50 x 7 = 350 liters.

Average person uses 40 liters per minute. Then divide 350 by 40, you will end up with how many minutes still you can breath after listening to the alarm of the SCBA. roughly speaking 10 minutes.

I wish you all the best,  if you need any further assistance, please drop an e mail.