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Explosive atmospheres
Explosion protection and zone classification
It binds every workplace where an explosive atmosphere may occur. The document shows three things: the zone classification, the suitability of equipment for that zone, and the protective measures taken.
What it asks for
The test is not the type of plant but whether an explosive atmosphere can form: LPG filling, paint shops, plants with flour, sugar or wood dust, battery charging rooms. Zones 0, 1 and 2 are defined for gases, vapours and mists and 20, 21 and 22 for dusts, and the numbers describe how often the atmosphere occurs.
- Explosive atmosphere assessmentWhich substance can form an explosive atmosphere under which conditions is determined.
- Zone classificationZones 0/1/2 for gas and 20/21/22 for dust are drawn; a non-hazardous decision is justified.
- Equipment conformityEquipment used in a zone must match that zone by category — this is where inspections most often fail.
- Protective measuresControl of ignition sources, ventilation, earthing and the permit regime are defined.
- Document and revisionThe document is prepared and revised when the process, the substances or the layout change.
Declaring an area "non-hazardous" is also a decision and needs its reasoning. The workplace duty and the equipment duty are separate regimes.
Which modules cover it
The modules below hold the records for this topic. Which ones you switch on is your decision.
Explosion protection document
Zones, the zone file, the 14-section document and equipment suitability.
Equipment and assets
Machinery, equipment and asset inventory.
Periodic inspection
Inspection of work equipment at the intervals set by the regulation.
Workplace measurement
Noise, dust, lighting and exposure measurement results.
Free tools for this topic
Legal basis
The table shows the obligations of the legislation region you pick in the top bar; it refreshes without reloading the page when the region changes.
Legal basis — Türkiye
| Obligation | Legal basis | How the page covers it |
|---|---|---|
| The employer assesses the specific risks arising from explosive atmospheres within the risk assessment carried out under the Occupational Health and Safety Risk Assessment Regulation. | Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Explosive Atmospheres, Art. 6(1) | The explosive atmosphere assessment step on the page: which substance can form an explosive atmosphere under which conditions is determined. |
| The employer classifies places where an explosive atmosphere may occur in accordance with Annex 1. | Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Explosive Atmospheres, Art. 9(1)(a) | The zone classification step on the page: zones 0, 1 and 2 are drawn for gas and 20, 21 and 22 for dust. |
| Hazardous places are classified into zones on the basis of the frequency and duration of the occurrence of an explosive atmosphere: zones 0, 1 and 2 for gas, vapour and mist, and zones 20, 21 and 22 for combustible dusts. | Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Explosive Atmospheres, Annex 1, item 2 | The "what it requires" block on the page: the numbers describe the frequency of occurrence. |
| The employer ensures that the minimum requirements set out in Annexes 2 and 3 are applied in the classified zones. | Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Explosive Atmospheres, Art. 9(1)(b) | The equipment conformity step on the page: the category of the equipment used in a zone must match the zone. |
| The employer places the signs given in Annex 4 at the entry points of places where an explosive atmosphere may occur in quantities that could endanger workers. | Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Explosive Atmospheres, Art. 9(1)(c) | The protective measures step on the page: control of ignition sources, ventilation, earthing and the permit-to-work regime are defined. |
| The explosion protection document states in writing that the explosion risk has been determined and assessed, the measures to be taken, the places classified under Annex 1, the places where the minimum requirements of Annexes 2 and 3 apply, that the design, operation, control and maintenance of the work equipment comply with the safety rules, and that all equipment used complies with the Work Equipment Regulation. | Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Explosive Atmospheres, Art. 10(2) | The explosion protection document module on the page: areas, the area file, the fourteen-section document and equipment conformity. |
| The explosion protection document is drawn up before work begins and is reviewed and updated whenever there is a significant change, extension or conversion in the workplace, the work equipment or the organisation of work. | Regulation on the Protection of Workers from Explosive Atmospheres, Art. 10(3) | The document and update step on the page: the document is prepared and updated when the process, the substance or the layout changes. |
In Türkiye the workplace duty comes from the Regulation on the Protection of Workers from the Risks of Explosive Atmospheres; the zone numbers sit in Annex 1, the minimum requirements in Annexes 2 and 3 and the warning sign in Annex 4.
Legal basis — European Union
| Obligation | Legal basis | How the page covers it |
|---|---|---|
| The employer shall assess the specific risks arising from explosive atmospheres, taking account at least of the likelihood that explosive atmospheres will occur and their persistence, the likelihood that ignition sources including electrostatic discharges will be present and become active, the installations, substances used, processes and their possible interactions, and the scale of the anticipated effects. | Directive 1999/92/EC, Art. 4(1) | The explosive atmosphere assessment step on the page. |
| The employer shall classify places where explosive atmospheres may occur into zones in accordance with Annex I. | Directive 1999/92/EC, Art. 7(1) | The zone classification step on the page; the zone numbers are the same as in the Turkish regulation. |
| The employer shall ensure that the minimum requirements laid down in Annex II are applied to the classified places and, where necessary, shall mark their points of entry with signs in accordance with Annex III. | Directive 1999/92/EC, Art. 7(2) and 7(3) | The equipment conformity and protective measures steps on the page. |
| The employer shall ensure that a document, referred to as the explosion protection document, is drawn up and kept up to date; it shall demonstrate in particular that the explosion risks have been determined and assessed, that adequate measures will be taken, which places have been classified into zones under Annex I and which places the minimum requirements of Annex II apply to. | Directive 1999/92/EC, Art. 8 | The document and update step on the page. |
| Hazardous places are classified into zones on the basis of the frequency and duration of the occurrence of an explosive atmosphere; a place where an explosive atmosphere is not expected to occur in such quantities as to require special precautions is deemed non-hazardous. | Directive 1999/92/EC, Annex I, items 1 and 2 | The page's own sentence that treating an area as outside a zone is itself a decision and its justification is written down. |
In the European Union the workplace side is bound by Directive 1999/92/EC; the zone definitions sit in Annex I, the minimum requirements in Annex II and the warning sign in Annex III. The equipment itself is the subject of a separate instrument.
Legal basis — United Kingdom
| Obligation | Legal basis | How the page covers it |
|---|---|---|
| Where a dangerous substance is or is liable to be present at the workplace the employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to employees arising from that substance; the assessment includes the likelihood that an explosive atmosphere will occur. | Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, reg. 5(1) and 5(2)(f) | The explosive atmosphere assessment step on the page. |
| Every employer shall ensure that risk is either eliminated or reduced so far as is reasonably practicable; substitution shall be undertaken by preference and, where elimination is not practicable, measures to control the risk and to mitigate the detrimental effects of a fire or explosion shall be applied. | Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, reg. 6(1)-(3) | The protective measures step on the page. |
| Every employer shall classify places at the workplace where an explosive atmosphere may occur into hazardous or non-hazardous places in accordance with paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 and shall classify those places classified as hazardous into zones in accordance with paragraph 2. | Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, reg. 7(1) | The zone classification step on the page; treating a place as non-hazardous is itself a classification decision. |
| Category 1 equipment must be used in zone 0 or zone 20, category 1 or 2 equipment in zone 1 or zone 21, and category 1, 2 or 3 equipment in zone 2 or zone 22. | Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, Schedule 3, para. 2 | The equipment conformity step on the page: this is where inspections most often stall. |
| Before a workplace containing places classified as hazardous is used for the first time the employer shall ensure that its overall explosion safety is verified by a person competent in the field of explosion protection; where necessary the places shall be marked with signs in accordance with Schedule 4. | Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, reg. 7(3) and 7(4) | The document and update step on the page; on the British side it is a verification duty that is written rather than a document. |
In Great Britain the counterpart is the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002; the zones sit in Schedule 2, the equipment categories in Schedule 3 and the signs in Schedule 4, and the overall explosion safety is verified before first use.
Legal basis — United States
| Obligation | Legal basis | How the page covers it |
|---|---|---|
| This section covers the requirements for electric equipment and wiring in locations classified according to the properties of the flammable vapors, liquids or gases, or combustible dusts or fibers that may be present and the likelihood that a flammable or combustible concentration is present; each room, section or area is considered individually in determining its classification. | 29 CFR 1910.307(a)(1) | The United States counterpart of the zone classification step; the test is again the likelihood of the atmosphere rather than the type of facility. |
| Hazardous (classified) locations are assigned the designations Class I Division 1, Class I Division 2, Class I Zone 0, Class I Zone 1, Class I Zone 2, Class II Division 1, Class II Division 2, Class III Division 1 and Class III Division 2. | 29 CFR 1910.307(a)(2)(i) | The 0/1/2 and 20/21/22 numbers in the page's "what it requires" block have no counterpart on the United States side; classification runs in the language of class and division. |
| All areas designated as hazardous (classified) locations under the Class and Zone system and areas designated under the Class and Division system established after August 13, 2007 shall be properly documented; the documentation shall be available to those authorized to design, install, inspect, maintain or operate electric equipment at the location. | 29 CFR 1910.307(b) | The United States counterpart of the document and update step. |
| Equipment, wiring methods and installations of equipment in hazardous (classified) locations shall be intrinsically safe, approved for the hazardous (classified) location, or safe for the location; equipment shall be approved not only for the class of location but also for the ignitable or combustible properties of the specific gas, vapor, dust or fiber that will be present, and shall be marked to show the class, group and operating temperature. | 29 CFR 1910.307(c)(1) and (c)(2) | The equipment conformity step on the page; on the United States side conformity is measured by approval and marking rather than by a category. |
Classification uses a different vocabulary at the United States federal level: Class I, II and III with Division 1 and 2 are used instead of zones, and for Class I a zone system with zones 0, 1 and 2 may be chosen instead.