HazardEx Show
An introduction to the Hazardous Area market and the industry's top show.
With the International HazardEx Show only a month away in February, EPA investigates explosive atmospheres and how they effect the design and use of electrical equipment.
Since the advent of the ATEX directive, the Hazardous Area equipment market has grown significantly and is now worth £1.1bn in Europe alone, with the trend continuing. The directive resulted in new industrial areas being considered hazardous and consequently increasing the potential market.
The obvious areas to find potentially explosive atmospheres are those in which flammable gases such as propane and hydrogen are created or used. However, workplaces where fine powders and dusts such as grain flour, coal or wood are present in the air, the situation can be equally hazardous.
All these substances will burn as a single, solid mass if exposed to a flame, but they will do so slowly due to the limited surface area of the exposed fuel. However, as a fine powder suspended in air, the surface area of exposed fuel is made far greater. And if the dust is also in a contained environment, the risk of explosion is again increased.
For a dust cloud to become potentially explosive it first must have the correct (or incorrect) concentration of fuel to air. Lower Explosion Limits for organic materials are often in the range of 10-50 g/m3, which would be enough to make it difficult to see for more than a few yards. However, such conditions can easily be created if settled material suddenly becomes disturbed.
The correct use of electrical equipment within these areas is vital to reducing risk of explosion and maintaining a safe working environment. For this to happen, all possibility of ignition from sparking, static or hot surfaces must be eliminated.
This obviously requires the manufacturers of electrical equipment to integrate specific design features before their equipment can be used in potentially explosive conditions.
Acronyms explained:
ATEX is the system or framework for controlling the management of explosive atmospheres and the standards for the equipment used in them. It is based on the requirements of two European Directives: the ATEX Workplace Directive on minimum requirements for improving the health and safety protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres and the ATEX Equipment Directive.
DSEAR stands for the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations. These are the legal requirements put in place for employers or the self-employed to ensure people are not put at risk from fire or explosions in the workplace.
IECEx is the International Electrotechnical Commission Scheme for Certification of Equipment in Explosive Atmospheres (hence the abbreviation!) This voluntary scheme aims to facilitate international trade in equipment used in explosive atmospheres while ensuring the required safety levels are maintained.
The show:
The HazardEx International Show held at East of England Showground in Peterborough, is now in its seventh year and remains the most important forum for companies wanting to learn more about the hazardous area industry. The show provides a wealth of industry information and also the opportunity to meet the companies that supply to it.
The International event runs once a year with a two day conference, exhibition and an awards scheme to reward suppliers in the hazardous area sector, celebrated with an annual gala dinner during the event.
Conference:
The European ATEX Directive came into force fully in 2006, but the work is just beginning. With post implementation comes maintenance and repair creating more issues for consideration such as competence of the employee or contractor and the environmental issues of any incidents.
The HazardEx 2008 Conference will include sessions & workshops on:
• Health, Safety and the environment – during and after an incident
• What do the DTI & HSE think now and into the future on plant & operator safety
• Case study – Process safety at a major global oil producer
• Case study – Principles of hazard analysis at a global chemicals company
• An update on Internationalisation under the IECEx certification scheme
• Ensuring operational competence in the hazardous area
• Functional safety/Safety Integrity Levels (SILs)
• Industrial Fire Safety precautions and their effects on the environment
• Personnel protection, equipment & systems (PPE)
• IT based safety systems – RFID, wireless, fieldbus networking
• Other case studies from the global industrial community
If you would like more information about HazardEx, contact:
IML Events Tel: 01732 359990
Email: events@imlgroup.co.uk
Website: www.hazardexonthenet.net
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