You might work in an atmosphere that is often filled with volatile gases or combustible dust and you know all it takes is one tiny spark that can lead to a fire or even an explosion resulting in serious injury. It’s very important that you or your company has safety measures in place to protect when working in these types of environments. These conditions are often created as a part of the normal operations of industry and cannot be totally negated; the next obvious solution is to remove all possible sources of ignition. Everything from light switches to fans are possible sources of ignition, and they simply cannot be entirely removed the workspace.
To control these ignition sources you should implement intrinsically safe electrical equipment or explosion proof equipment. Intrinsically safe equipment is basically any equipment that is incapable of producing sufficient energy to cause ignition. Explosion proof refers to equipment that can contain and isolate possible sources of ignition, preventing them from making contact with the open air. Intrinsically safe equipment has the highest safety but is not always the best choice. There are limitations created by its higher costs and generally low power characteristics. Explosion proof equipment on the other hand is not as constrained by these limitations and can be operated at lower cost. One example is this type of equipment is lighting.
Explosion Proof Lighting is created for use in places where the danger of fires or explosions is present. There many types of these lights ranging from LED lights, flashlights, and fluorescent lights. These types of lights come in several different classes and ratings. These classes and ratings determine the conditions the light is intended to be operated in. OSHA defines explosion proof lighting as “An apparatus enclosed in a case that is capable of withstanding an explosion of a specified gas or vapor that may occur within it and of preventing the ignition of a specified gas or vapor surrounding the enclosure by sparks, flashes, or explosion of the gas or vapor within, and that operates at such an external temperature that a surrounding flammable atmosphere will not be ignited thereby.”
With this type of lighting it will help to prevent accidents and injuries in these types of hazardous work areas and provide that type of safety your work areas need. Companies like Larson Electronics provide a wide variety of this type of lighting.