CF ChatterFix
Safety Inspection

CO2 & Oxygen Deficiency Monitoring

CO2 is the hazard people in this industry are most used to and least afraid of. It is heavier than air, so it pools in cellars, pits and low corners; it is odourless, so there is no warning; and oxygen deficiency impairs judgement before the person affected recognises anything is wrong. Fixed and personal monitors are the only thing standing between routine cellar work and a fatality, which makes their calibration a life-safety task rather than an instrument task.

Interval Monthly
Est. Duration 1.0 hr
Steps 5
Applies To Breweries & Distilleries

The Procedure

The steps ChatterFix schedules for this PM. Every step is a checkable item on the work order — a technician can speak their way through it without touching a keyboard.

  1. Bump-test and calibrate fixed and portable CO2 / O2 monitors
  2. Verify alarms are audible and visible in cellar and packaging areas
  3. Confirm ventilation runs and interlocks to the alarm
  4. Check that low-lying areas where CO2 pools are signed and monitored
  5. Review the evacuation procedure for a CO2 release with the crew

Why This PM Exists

CO2 is the hazard people in this industry are most used to and least afraid of. It is heavier than air, so it pools in cellars, pits and low corners; it is odourless, so there is no warning; and oxygen deficiency impairs judgement before the person affected recognises anything is wrong. Fixed and personal monitors are the only thing standing between routine cellar work and a fatality, which makes their calibration a life-safety task rather than an instrument task.

What Skipping It Looks Like

Monitors drift out of calibration, alarms get muted because they nuisance-trip during transfers, and ventilation interlocks get bypassed for noise. None of it matters until a fitting fails or a tank vents into a poorly ventilated space — and the person who walks in has no way to know before they are already impaired. Rescuers entering without monitors are how a single casualty becomes several.

Setting the interval

Monthly bump tests, calibration per the manufacturer's schedule. Any alarm event, any monitor that has been muted, and any change to cellar ventilation should trigger an immediate check rather than waiting for the next cycle.

Equipment This Covers

Common Questions

How often should this PM run?
Monthly. Monthly bump tests, calibration per the manufacturer's schedule. Any alarm event, any monitor that has been muted, and any change to cellar ventilation should trigger an immediate check rather than waiting for the next cycle.
How long does it take?
Budget about 1.0 hour for a technician working to the standard procedure. ChatterFix uses that estimate for capacity planning, then learns your plant's actual time from completed work orders.
What happens if we skip it?
Monitors drift out of calibration, alarms get muted because they nuisance-trip during transfers, and ventilation interlocks get bypassed for noise. None of it matters until a fitting fails or a tank vents into a poorly ventilated space — and the person who walks in has no way to know before they are already impaired. Rescuers entering without monitors are how a single casualty becomes several.
Can I use this checklist in ChatterFix?
Yes — this exact procedure ships in the Breweries & Distilleries industry pack. Pick your industry at signup and it is scheduled on the right assets automatically, with no configuration.

Related Procedures

Stop Retyping Your PM Library

This procedure — and every other PM for your industry — is already built into ChatterFix. Pick your industry and it lands on the right equipment, on the right interval, in about three minutes.