Certification or in-house testing?

Areas with an explosion hazard are those where a dangerous explosive atmosphere can occur. This is an environment that requires measures to protect workers. We divide these areas into zones as a basis to determine the precautions. Of course, correct zoning requires a lot of knowledge and experience. Based on this zoning, product use is limited to those that meet strict requirements.

?What zones do we distinguish?

Briefly summarized, there are three zones:?

- ? ? ? Zone 0 and 20

This zone indicates the presence of a continuous or long-lasting explosive atmosphere. In concrete terms: 1000 hours per year or more than 10% of the operating time.

- ? ? ? Zone 1 and 21

An explosive atmosphere can be expected under normal operating conditions or can be expected to occur on occasion.Between 10 and 1000 hours per year or between 0.1 and 10% of the operating time and less than 50% of the duration of a shift.

- ? ? ? Zone 2 and 22

These are areas where an explosive atmosphere is unlikely to occur. If it does occur, it will be rare and brief. Less than 10 hours per year or less than 0.1% of the operating time. And for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Manufacturer determines safety

Explosion-safe products are classified into categories depending on the safety level of the equipment. Category 1 products are for zone 0 and 20, with the highest risk. Category 2 products are used in zone 1 and 21, and category 3 equipment is used in zone 2 and 22. European regulations allow for manufacturers to determine the safety of products in category 3 themselves. A certificate from an independent body is not needed. This is like grading one’s own homework. It makes for inconsistent decision-making between manufacturers and reduces the buyer’s confidence in the safety of a product. The risk of something happening in these areas isn’t very big. But if something does go wrong, it does so in a big way. More and more often, independently certified category 2 equipment is being used for zone 2 and 22 for that reason.

Trust and safety above all

At Artidor, we produce category 3 products as well. We take our own internal testing extremely seriously and make sure we always err on the side of caution.For instance, we develop products for use in zone 1 and 21, but offer them as zone 2/22 products. Due to the high costs of certification, we only opt for this process if a true demand appears to exist. This means that many of our customers buy category 3 equipment, which is then found to meet the category 2 requirements as well. Too safe? Maybe so, but it sure beats our customers running any risk whatsoever with an inferior or unsafe product! It allows our customers to conduct their business safely! And that is what gets us up in the morning.