Electric.ie March/April 2020

12 ELECTRIC.IE • The Magazine & Website for the Irish Electrical Industry • Know your Hazardous Areas and Substances A spark from regular electrical equipment can become a source of explosion and fire in a hazardous environment. AP Haslam wish to share their professional understanding of ATEX zoning and Ex lighting solutions. T he same questions frequently arise when discussing Hazardous areas. They are normally about ATEX zoning – and the identification of dangerous substances or processes that could unwittingly lead to serious breaches in Safety legislation. Let’s take a quick look! Typically hazardous locations such as distilleries, spray booths and petrol stations are well known, but there are other unfamiliar areas, such as in pharmaceutical manufacturing, which deserve attention. In addition, there are many other substances that create dust and gas, like grain and food products, that should to be reviewed. AP Haslam have produced a brief guide covering the possible areas of consideration – a pointer towards opportunities for you to investigate and supply the correct equipment within the market. For your copy, contact Richie Kavanagh or Bernard Lynch at AP Haslam Limited | Tel: +353 (1) 453 2522 | Email: sales@aphaslam.ie There are three Zones for Hazardous Areas Zone 0 (Gas & Vapours) + Zone 20 (Dust) An area where an explosive atmosphere is present CONTINUOUSLY for long periods. Zone 1 (Gas & Vapours) + Zone 21 (Dust) An area where an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur under normal operation OCCASIONALLY. Zone 2 (Gas & Vapours) + Zone 22 (Dust) An area where an explosive atmosphere may occur under abnormal operation and only persists for a SHORT period. What is ATEX? A potentially explosive atmosphere (ATEX – ATmosphères EXplosives) exists when a volatile mixture of air, gas, vapour, mist or dust combines in a way that can ignite under certain conditions. Typical circumstances occur in offshore oil & gas platforms, petrochemical plants, mines, distilleries and flour mills, amongst others. The European ATEX Directive defines the essential health and safety requirements – and conformity assessment procedures – to be applied before products are placed on the EU market. European countries – and those who apply the Directive’s requirements – are responsible for implementation and enforcement, as well as the management of notified bodies.