What Exactly Does Dangerous Location Lighting Entail? A Guide That Covers Everything

Any industrial working area could be adversely affected by the presence of hazardous location lighting. You need to be aware of the lighting requirements for hazardous locations if you want to prevent the start of potential fires. You need to be familiar with the various kinds of hazardous location lighting if you work in the lighting and electrical supply distribution industry, as a lighting sales representative, or as a contractor.

If you don’t take precautions, you or one of your customers could experience a fire that causes damage to property and could even claim lives.

This is exactly why we decided to compile this guide for you. When you have all of the necessary information about the lighting used in hazardous locations, you will be able to ensure that it is used in a secure manner. In addition to that, you can provide your customers with information regarding how to use them in a secure manner. Continue reading to find out more.

What Exactly Does Dangerous Location Lighting Entail?

The term “hazardous location lighting” refers to any light fixture that is safe to use in an environment where it is likely that a fire will start at some point. This area is known as a hazardous location as well as a hazardous location and a hazardous area. Explosion and fire risks are always present in an environment with a high risk of hazards.

Fibers, dust, vapors, and gases are all examples of potential hazards. All of these dangers have the potential to catch fire, particularly if there is a source of illumination nearby.

When it is being installed, electrical equipment has the potential to be a source of ignition due to its high temperature or electrical arching. People are able to categorize and identify these dangers thanks to the regulations and standards that have been put into place.

The regulations that govern the lighting in hazardous locations are of the utmost significance. Because of this, when you are selecting the light fixtures that you will use in these potentially hazardous areas, you need to make sure that they have been approved for such use.

How Are Dangerous Areas Classified, Exactly?

It is helpful to have an understanding of how hazardous areas are classified in order to select the appropriate lighting fixtures for your needs. When you are deciding what constitutes a hazardous area, one of the factors that you must consider is the probability that there will be combustible material in a certain area that has the potential to catch fire.

There are numerous methods for recognizing potentially hazardous locations due to the diversity of the hazards themselves. 

1.) Dividing Risky Locations Into Sections

There are two divisions that pertain to hazardous locations, and they are referred to respectively as Division 1 and Division 2. Combustible vapors that are produced from liquids fall under the purview of Division 1, as do flammable vapors that are produced from liquids and flammable gases that are combustible due to the manner in which they are concentrated. Under typical conditions of operation, the presence of these vapors cannot be avoided.

The vapors and gases classified under Division 2 are identical to those classified under Division 1. On the other hand, under typical working conditions, you will encounter them only very infrequently.

It is essential to keep in mind that you can use Division 1 to define areas that are marginally more dangerous in terms of the possibility of fires occurring there. When traveling through these regions, it is imperative that appropriate safety precautions be taken at all times.

When compared to Division 1 areas, the level of safety in Division 2 areas is marginally higher. 

Nevertheless, it is essential to make use of the appropriate lights in these locations.

2.) Classifications Of Dangerous Locations

Using the Class System, you sort the materials according to their respective types. Class I, Class II, and Class III are the three classes that are available. Combustible vapors that are produced from liquid, flammable vapors that are produced from liquid, and flammable gases are the components that make up Class I.

3.) Groups Who Work In Dangerous Locations

You separate the materials being used into their own distinct Groups using the Class System. Class I’s Groups A, B, C, and D, as well as Class II’s Groups E, F, and G, are considered to be part of these Groups. Specifically speaking, this is how they are defined:

■ In the first group, acetylene

■ Hydrogen belongs to Group B.

■ Ethylene belongs to Group C.

■ Propane is included in Group D

■ Metal Dusts are included in Group E.

■ Carbonaceous Dusts are Included in Group F

■ Non-Conductive Dust is in the Group G category (these include plastic, wood, grain, flour, etc.)

Please take note that groups A through D in Class I are gases. The pressures in Group A are the most explosive, and as you move down the list toward Group D, they become less explosive. Group A has the highest explosive pressures. In spite of this, they continue to pose a risk of explosion.

These substances fall into a variety of categories within Class II, specifically E-G. On the other hand, every one of them contains dust that has the potential to catch fire.

Is There Any Relationship Between The Dangerous Location And The Need For Explosion-Proof Lighting?

Lighting designed for hazardous locations and lighting designed to withstand explosions is similar in the sense that both can be installed in potentially hazardous areas to reduce the risk posed by those areas. On the other hand, each one is constructed uniquely due to the fact that it serves a different purpose.

Location fraught with danger Lighting is utilized especially for locations that are considered to be hazardous. Because of the way these light fixtures were constructed, there is significantly less of a chance that the flammable vapors or gases that are present in the area will start a fire.

On the other hand, when it comes to explosion-proof lighting fixtures, the manufacturers of the fixtures have designed them to prevent the possibility of explosions from occurring. Because of the way that they are constructed, the individual components of the light fixture do not pose a significant risk of exploding.

Dangers Involved In Not Utilizing Dangerous Location Lighting

If you do not use lighting designed for hazardous locations, you put yourself in a lot of danger. A company is putting itself in a legally precarious position if it has lights installed that are not properly matched up to their definition of hazardous lighting, for one thing. This puts the company in jeopardy.

In addition, there are real dangers involved when hazardous location lighting is not utilized.

Your customers run the risk of having their property damaged in a fire if you do not provide them with the information they require regarding hazardous location lighting. In addition, both people’s lives and their health would be in jeopardy.

Do You Require Further Information?

You may find that you require additional information about hazardous location lighting despite the fact that you now have all of the necessary knowledge. You could be interested in learning about the best hazardous lights available for purchase. Or perhaps you are trying to determine how many lights to put in or which supplementary lighting products to purchase.

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