Section 5 – Hazardous areas
5.1 Hazardous areas - where they exist
5.2 Hazardous area precautions
5.1 Hazardous areas - where they exist
An area is considered hazardous if an explosive atmosphere is present or may be present. An explosive atmosphere is created when there is enough flammable substance, such as petrol vapour, mixed with the air in a place.
Typical examples of hazardous areas are:
- petrol dispensing or decanting areas;
- liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage and decanting areas;
- areas in or adjacent to gas storage facilities;
- ripening rooms;
- grain silos (flammable dusts); and
- areas where flammable products are stored, used, or decanted.
5.2 Hazardous area precautions
The best and simplest way of making sure a hazardous area is electrically safe is not to have any electrical equipment in it.
Never run an extension lead to a hazardous area to use plug-in electrical equipment. Even extra low voltage equipment such as battery drills should not be used in a hazardous area, because they can create electrical sparks and arcs which may initiate an explosion.
If it is essential to have electrical equipment in a hazardous area, you must ensure that:
- the hazardous area is classified by an expert person, establishing the type of hazardous atmosphere and its risk level, in accordance with recognised standards; and
- a licensed electrical person ensures that the electrical installation and equipment are suitable for the classification.
Last updated March 1, 2006
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