H2S certification before being allowed to enter a workplace is mandatory in many industries such as Oil & Gas, Chemicals manufacturing, Wastewater treatment, Oil Terminals, refining facilities, mining, Shipping and many others. Why does a company insist on H2S certification of personnel before allowing them to enter the workplace? Read on below.
What is H2S?
H2S is the molecular formula for Hydrogen Sulfide (also spelled as Hydrogen Sulphide in the UK). Instead of being referred to by its full name often it is called simply as H2S. It is a highly toxic as well as explosive gas found mainly in oil fields, gas fields, sewage, garbage dumps and also as the by product of some industrial processes. Natural gas that has a high content of H2S may also be called as sour gas.
Read more about H2S here.
Why is taking an H2S Training Course Important? Why is H2S certification important?
H2S can be lethal to humans when inhaled even in small amounts in parts per million.In fact the OSHA standard for maximum H2S exposure is as low as 20 ppm (ppm stands for parts per million). In many Oil and gas installations, there is a possibility of having some presence of H2S, due to it being present in the untreated sour gas itself, or as part of the extracted crude oil. Furthermore, H2S may be present due to either leakage from treatment facilities, or due to wrong operations, or equipment failures.
Operators as well as engineering or maintenance crew must be alert to any presence of H2S in the vicinity of their workplace. Since this gas is so deadly most organizations have mandatory H2S training and H2s certification requirements for personnel, before they can be allowed to work inside the facility. Many industries consider employees fit to work only after they undergo an H2S awareness training course.
Since many people who take any H2S training course may tend to forget what they learned during the course, many companies also require that the personnel H2S certification to be renewed periodically, after 1 year, to ensure that they remain aware of the dangers of H2S while working.
H2S awareness training saves lives. This is because H2S has a peculiar characteristic of desensitizing the olfactory cells in the human nose. This means people can initially for some time smell the H2S gas if it is present nearby (it smells similar to rotten eggs), but over some time of exposure, the smell vanishes, even though the gas is actually still present, or may have in fact, even increased in concentration! This is because H2S gas deadens the cells in the human nose that enable smells to be sensed. This can be very deadly indeed, as in higher concentrations (even as low as 50 ppm to 100 ppm) a human may get simply knocked out and become unconscious, before they think of escaping or evacuation.
This is not true only for confined spaces as these H2S accidents may occur even in open spaces. This is because even when there is dilution air present , as in the case of an outdoors location, the H2S concentration even at low levels can be deadly.
Rescuers may also be similarly affected, hence taking an H2S training course is mandatory for first responders too. Hydrogen Sulfide exposure can result in fatal injuries. Read more on the dangers of H2S here.
How to take online Hydrogen Sulfide training?
It is very simple to take online Hydrogen Sulfide training. Simply take the free Abhisam Hydrogen Sulfide training from the Abhisam Training Portal at prettygoodcourses.com . You can complete all the training modules in just a few hours and also take the H2S test that makes you eligible for getting an H2S certificate (you need to order it at a nominal cost).
Why is online training preferred over in person H2S classes?
In days when technology was not very advanced there was no choice but to take in person H2S training classes. Nowadays however you can easily take free online training courses from Abhisam such as the free H2S awareness training in detail. You can access this excellent H2S course via any preferred device of your choice such as your Windows laptop, or Macbook, or PC or ipad or tablet or even your smartphone. Any device with a modern browser that can access online content is OK.
There is no need to physically visit any training center or specific location at a specific date and time, as used to be the case earlier. Now since it is an online H2S course you can take it from wherever you want and at whatever time you wish to learn. A company management can hence easily train large numbers of personnel simultaneously and at a very low cost, as compared to physical classes.
You can complete this 3 hour online course at your own pace and then take the associated exam. On passing you will be eligible to receive H2S certification. However the certificate is not free, you need to purchase it for a nominal cost. Every H2S certificate comes with a QR code that can be checked for authenticity. Thus any QR code reader app can be used to scan it and if authentic will display the same certificate. Thus it becomes very easy for any company to check if the H2S certificate is genuine.
What is an H2S card?
An H2S card is a certificate that shows that you have taken the H2S training course and have passed the H2S certification test.
Is this the same as H2S Alive certificate?
No the Abhisam H2S certification course is different from the H2S alive course, which is from another provider.
Does OSHA require H2S training?
Yes, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires all personnel who may be entering a workplace that has the possibility of presence of H2S in future to undergo H2S awareness training before they can be allowed to work.
Is this similar to OPITO training?
OPITO is a different organization and Abhisam has no connection to them. Abhisam’s H2S course has been developed in house by Abhisam and all intellectual property regarding the course is owned by Abhisam. Abhisam’s H2S course is well accepted all over the world, whether you need H2S training in Calgary or H2S training in Mumbai.
Can I not search on Google?
Sure you can search for H2S certification on Google, perhaps this is how you found this page. Now you can make really good use of your valuable time, by learning about Hydrogen Sulfide by taking this free e- learning course. This free online H2S course, has been prepared by Abhisam’s subject matter experts and you will find everything explained in a very easy to understand and logical manner. You will learn everything in a short amount of time, sitting in your home or office, or anywhere there is an internet connection.
Why not read a book to get the same information?
There is no free book/ebook that explains everything so beautifully, in a short amount of time. Also, OSHA standards require you to take an H2S training course from any provider and prove it such as by showing a certificate. You do not get a certificate by reading a book!