Hi guys, obsecure one here! I'm looking to purchase radio communications systems for our emergency response team as part of communication method for PEEP for identified staff in the factory. The problem has been raised that due to the significant amount of stainless steel equipment, pipwork and silos at the factory radio signals coverage is poor and could not be used. (maintenance dept stance) My thinking is that the fire service must go into factorys in food industry or chemical industry that have lots of stainless steel structures so there must be equipment available for this type of environment? I have contacted some random suppliers but they are very slow to respond so i though someone on here my have encountered this issue before. Cheers

Someone is talking rubbish. There are many chemical/petrochemical plants all around the world where extensive radio communication is used between the operating team, in addition to emergency teams. On offshore installations there is almost nothing but steel and radios are ubiqitous - for example between crane driver, supply vessel and deck crew when loading and unloading. When I worked offshore, all our emergency response communications between team members and with the command centre were via UHF radio.

In high hazard sites, such as oil installations, COMAH etc, there are dedicated emergency response teams who have to communicate in real time using radios. I recommend that you contact reputable supplier of radio systems for such industries and give them a proper specification in context of the coverage, atex compliance etc etc and they will give a quote--such systems are not cheap and usually require a series of transmitting boxes so that the entire space is covered. I will send by PM details of 2 suppliers we have had quotations from in the past( for buildings such as pilot plants, chemical labs, offices etc.)

. you can create communication black spots where the receiver is surrounded by dense materials (Steel,concrete, Rock) but for short range communications this is rare unless you are using low power transmitters and receivers. All blackspots however can be engineered out using strategically placed radio relays or repeaters. Speak with a reputable communications company and they will be able to best advise you on this. Thanks