Two-way radios in Oil and Gas/Petrochemical industry can be a valuable tool for your operatives. Effective communication is essential for critical health and safety practices. There are many two-way radios that you can choose for your Oil and Gas petrochemical site. There are many specialist Atex two-way radios created specifically for this sector. As with any hazardous environment, the two-way radios are designed to conform to varying Atex classifications.
Atex Classifications Explained
For more details on Atex Classification click here
Why Use Two-Way Radios In Oil and Gas/Petrochemical Industry?
- Worker’s Safety is paramount in such hazardous environments
- Helps organise large numbers of personnel safely and efficiently
- New digital technology allows on-site GPS tracking and call logging
- Improve time management
- Maximises productivity
- Improves on-site security
- improves on-site management
These are some of the benefits that two-way radios can offer to your Oil and Gas/Petrochemical site
Using Two-Way Radios In Oil and Gas/Petrochemical Industry
Working in areas that have explosive or combustible dust, oil rigs, petrochemical plants or an open mine, safe, reliable communication is critical. Using two-way radios can allow you to comply with health and safety standards and ensure personnel are safe.
With two-way radios you can:
- Build an efficient communication network for your site
- Communicate quickly with operatives
- Speak to everyone with a two-way radio on site at once, such as in an emergency
- Use dedicated channels or frequencies to communicate with individuals or groups of users
- Connect multiple sites in different geographical locations with the same two-way radio network*
- Send and receive text and email messages*
- Make or receive outbound calls*
*Handset and system dependent
Which Two-Way Radios In Oil and Gas/Petrochemical Should I Use on My Site?
Before you can decide which two-way radios to use, there are many factors you will need to consider
- Which hazardous zones will operatives need to communicate in?
- What is the minimum Atex classification for devices to operate safely in each hazardous zone
- Do you require two-way radio signal coverage in every area
- What health and safety requirements are there for emergency procedures
- Who are going to be using the two-way radios
- What features do each radio user require
- How many users require a two-way radio
- How can you effectively manage all on-site communications
- What health and safety requirements are there for emergency procedures
- Do you require private communication channels so no outside listeners can eavesdrop
- How much do the two-way radios cost
- Can you hire compatible devices for shut-down sub-contractors
Now that we have considered some of the queries related to two-way radio use we can start to consider the type of two-way radio to use on your construction site.
Atex Licence-free or Atex Licenced Two-Way Radios
Atex Licence-Free Two-Way Radios
You may think that a licence-free two-way radio cannot provide the safety you require. Entel offers licence-free Atex radio solutions that may be suitable. If your oil and gas or petrochemical site are small or you have a team of sub-contractors working in a small area of your site, then ENTEL’s latest digital ATEX and IECEx IIA certified handsets may prove very useful and cost-effective.
As the name suggests, they are licence-free so do not Require an Ofcom business radio licence and work out of the box with no programming required.
Atex Licenced Two-Way Radios
Atex licenced two-way radios in oil and gas/petrochemical sites offer a more versatile solution compared to Atex licence-free radios.
Advantages of Atex licenced two-way radios include:
- The power output of Atex licenced radios is set at 1 watt, compared to 0.5watts which increases coverage
- Can be programmed with unique frequencies instead of being set on 446MHz
- Some handsets are GPS enabled
- Can connect to a dispatch console
- It can be possible to send and receive texts and emails
- Some have lone worker and man-down alarms
- They can connect to trunked radio solutions
These are just some of the advantages. In essence, if your site requires anything above the very basic requirements that an Atex licence-free solution can provide then you will need to use Atex licenced two-way radios.
Ofcom Business Radio Licence
ATEX licenced two-way radios will require an Ofcom Business Radio Licence per channel. If you are unfamiliar with two-way radio licencing requirements we recommend you learn more about Ofcom Business Radio Licencing here.
There are many licencing options available to you to enhance your on-site communications but unless you have extensive experience we would recommend that you contact a two-way radio supplier to assist with your application to ensure you choose the best option.
