Classify the area first
Before selecting equipment the area is classified: where an explosive atmosphere may form, how often and for how long. Equipment chosen without classification is unjustified even when it happens to be right.
The substance decides
Gases, vapours and dusts behave differently; ignition temperature and energy thresholds vary with the substance. Equipment is therefore not chosen merely as "suitable for explosive atmospheres"; it is matched to the substance present.
Integrity is essential
Correct equipment installed wrongly, or its integrity broken by a gasket changed during maintenance, removes the protection. Integrity is verified after maintenance.
Marking and records
The equipment's marking must stay legible, and its record must state which zone it was selected for. If the zone changes, the equipment is reassessed.
In Optifora
The equipment record keeps the zone, the selection rationale and the maintenance history together; when a zone changes it lists the affected equipment.