Stemming Alcohol-Based Industrial Fatalities Through Enhanced Breathalyser Sensitivity

Abstract: The electronic breathalyser as an alcohol detection system is a semiconductor-based breath analysis device that detects the alcohol level in a person's blood system through the breath. Despite the high sensitivity of the MQ-3 alcohol sensor, the need to ensure enhanced sensitivity is paramount because of the fatal effects the alcoholic could cause at work place. Maintaining and enhancing sensitivity of alcohol detection system therefore requires a couple of precautions be taken. With hardware and software designs, MQ-3 calibrated to 0.4mg/L (about 200ppm) of alcohol concentration and Atmega 328P-PU microcontroller programmed with flowcode, Arduino Uno R3 and encoded with C, simulated on Proteus, and implemented on Veroboard, is mounted on the factory machine at a point very close to where the operator stands. When alcohol was detected, an analogue output to the microcontroller was used to calculate the percentage and displays it on the LCD. The LED comes on and the buzzer sounds an alarm to show the alcohol level exceeds the threshold. With 40% alcohol concentration there is a deviation of 1.021110507 in the response time of the alcohol sensor.

Keywords: Alcohol Detection, Flowcode, Sensitivity, Depressed Nervous System, Fatality.