DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN IOT-ENABLED SMART SAFETY MASK FOR REAL-TIME HAZARDOUS GAS AND RADIATION MONITORING IN GARBAGE DUMP WORKERS
Abstract
Workers at landfills have serious occupational risks due to gases emitted from the anaerobic degradation of waste, such as methane (CH₄) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and potential exposure to ionizing radiation from poorly discarded radioactive materials [6][7]. Particle filtering masks do not detect or alert for gas hazards, rather they simply provide protection from particulate emissions. This paper develops a low-cost smart safety mask using an Internet of Things (IoT), wearable platform with an ESP32 microcontroller containing an MQ-2 gas sensor for methane detection and a Geiger-Müller tube for radiation detection. Gas and radiation data are sent wirelessly to a Blynk IoT dashboard and can be accessed and monitored in real-time by Work Supervisors on their mobile devices. A buzzer is activated if either the Methane concentration exceeds 10,000 ppm or if the Radiation dose rate exceeds 0.8 µSv/hr; the buzzer will operate independent of network connectivity. Preliminary prototype testing has demonstrated the adequacy of gas and radiation sensors, threshold detection at the set point, and the ability of the system to remotely alert to workplace hazards. There is currently no low-cost, wearable solution that combines gas detection, radiation detection, local alerting capabilities or IoT connectivity that is appropriate for landfill workers – this indicates a significant gap in the existing literature regarding the safety of workers in the landfill environment [1][2][3]. This system supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3, 8, 11, and 12.