Employer duties

What does an explosion protection document contain?

The document shows that explosion risks have been identified and assessed, which areas are classified into which zones, which minimum requirements apply there, and that workplaces and equipment are used safely. The annexes are part of it: the zone drawing, the equipment list, inspection records and the permit-to-work arrangement.

What the document has to state

  1. That explosion risks have been identified and assessed.
  2. That the measures taken are adequate.
  3. Which areas are classified into which zones.
  4. The minimum requirements applied in those zones.
  5. That workplaces and work equipment, including warning devices, are designed, used and maintained safely.

These five are the skeleton. The text may be long, but a document that does not show one of the five is incomplete.

The annexes are part of the document

  • Zone drawing — the classification shown on a plan: which volume, which zone, out to what distance.
  • Equipment list — for every item inside a zone: category, group, temperature class and marking.
  • Ignition source assessment — which sources are present and how each is controlled.
  • Inspection and maintenance records — the evidence that periodic checks happen.
  • Organisational measures — instructions, training, permits, housekeeping regime.

Why it is not a one-off document

The document describes how the work actually runs. When a new machine arrives, a line changes or a new chemical comes into use, what it describes changes; if the document does not change with it, it is describing the past rather than the plant.

How this stands in Optifora

The explosion protection module keeps the sections and annexes as separate records: 199 catalogue rows — 7 zone types, 7 equipment categories, 4 equipment groups, 8 temperature classes, 12 kinds of release source, 26 checklist items, 24 audit items, 7 document tables and 14 area forms. The document is produced from those records rather than written as free text.

Manage this in Optifora

Optifora is not a single program but a compliance platform assembled from modules. The catalogue states which module is ready today and which is on the roadmap.

See what Optifora is