What is an EPL?

You may have noticed that hazardous location products with IEC markings incorporate a new symbol marking in the form of a Ga, Gb, Gc or perhaps Da, Db or Dc. These are EPL markings. EPL is an acronym for “Equipment Protection Level” and it helps to determine if a product is suitable for a given hazardous location. 

The EPL was meant to simplify the interpretation of IEC hazardous location markings. Historically, IEC markings refer the type of protection the protected device incorporates. It does not explicitly state what hazardous location the device is good for. To determine if a device is suitable, you must reference the hazardous location installation codes. In Canada, this information is found in Table 18 of the Canadian Electrical Code.

This is often viewed as a deficiency when comparing the markings of Division based hazardous location products. A Division marked product states explicitly the Class and Division which helps the User determine where the device can be installed. The application of an EPL to IEC markings does the same thing. With very little interpretation, a user can quickly identify where a device is suitable for installation based on the following table:

Want to more about EPL’s? Consider attended an EngWorks Hazardous Locations course. For more information, go to https://onlinecourses.engworks.ca/