Perhaps you have heard the expression ‘if it’s not broken don’t fix it’. The same can be said for Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas (EEHA) inspections and there is often a GREAT deal of resistance from engineering and production managers to perform electrical inspections which may involve the isolation certain equipment or partial plant shutdown. It is a fact that if the electrical inspector lacks the necessary experience, the EEHA inspection could indeed do more harm than GOOD, resulting in damage to electrical apparatus, tripping of electrical circuits or extended isolations. For this reason only competent personnel should be employed for the purpose of performing EEHA inspections. Using a competent electrical inspector will provide the owners or users of the plant with a condition assessment of the electrical installation in hazardous areas to ensure that it is maintained in a satisfactory condition. It is also a requirement of AS/NZS 2381.1:2005 Section 4 that EEHA inspections be performed on a regular periodic basis or under continuous supervision by competent personnel.

Before embarking upon an inspection of electrical equipment within a hazardous area, the hazards associated with the flammable gas or vapour must be understood and the extent of the hazardous zone must be clearly defined. It is a fruitless exercise to begin an EEHA inspection without a clear definition of the hazardous zones. Internationally, the classification of hazardous areas has traditionally been carried out by individuals representing the legal owners/users of the plant. Often these persons lack EXPERTISE in hazardous areas classifications as WELL as the specific knowledge of the properties of the flammable materials. As a result, inconsistencies may exist in the limits of the hazardous zones. However, in more recent times hazardous areas classification has tended to be carried out by professional multidisciplinary engineering consultancies specializing in hazardous locations classifications. The electrical inspector performing the EEHA inspection should verify that the existing area classification remains correct and that there have been no CHANGES to plant or processes that may affect the hazardous zones.

Perhaps you have heard the expression ‘if it’s not broken don’t fix it’. The same can be said for Electrical Equipment in Hazardous Areas (EEHA) inspections and there is often a great deal of resistance from engineering and production managers to perform electrical inspections which may involve the isolation certain equipment or partial plant shutdown. It is a fact that if the electrical inspector lacks the necessary experience, the EEHA inspection could indeed do more harm than good, resulting in damage to electrical apparatus, tripping of electrical circuits or extended isolations. For this reason only competent personnel should be employed for the purpose of performing EEHA inspections. Using a competent electrical inspector will provide the owners or users of the plant with a condition assessment of the electrical installation in hazardous areas to ensure that it is maintained in a satisfactory condition. It is also a requirement of AS/NZS 2381.1:2005 Section 4 that EEHA inspections be performed on a regular periodic basis or under continuous supervision by competent personnel.

Before embarking upon an inspection of electrical equipment within a hazardous area, the hazards associated with the flammable gas or vapour must be understood and the extent of the hazardous zone must be clearly defined. It is a fruitless exercise to begin an EEHA inspection without a clear definition of the hazardous zones. Internationally, the classification of hazardous areas has traditionally been carried out by individuals representing the legal owners/users of the plant. Often these persons lack expertise in hazardous areas classifications as well as the specific knowledge of the properties of the flammable materials. As a result, inconsistencies may exist in the limits of the hazardous zones. However, in more recent times hazardous areas classification has tended to be carried out by professional multidisciplinary engineering consultancies specializing in hazardous locations classifications. The electrical inspector performing the EEHA inspection should verify that the existing area classification remains correct and that there have been no changes to plant or processes that may affect the hazardous zones.