Carbon Dioxide Monitors measure carbon dioxide levels and will alert personnel when CO2 reaches unsafe levels. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established a permissible exposure limit (PEL) for carbon dioxide of 5,000 parts per million (ppm) averaged over an 8-hour workday (time-weighted average or TWA). Many industries including the food and beverage (breweries, wineries, bars and restaurants, food processing and frozen food facilities), pharmaceutical, healthcare, universities, and laboratories all utilize carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide displaces or depletes oxygen and can cause dizziness, confusion, headache, shortness of breath, unconsciousness, and even death due to asphyxiation. Carbon dioxide may accumulate in confined spaces causing a health and safety hazard. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) code 13.7.2 specifies that rooms or areas where container systems are filled and used indoors or in enclosed outdoor locations shall be provided with a gas detection and alarm system that shall be capable of detecting and notifying the building occupants of a gas release or carbon dioxide at or in excess of the OSHA PEL of 5,000 ppm. Additionally, the carbon dioxide monitor shall initiate an audible alarm within the room or area in which the system is installed.