How to choose lighting for hazardous dusty zones

Dusty zones can sometimes be overlooked compared to zones with gases and vapours, but are you aware that most dusts commonly found in industrial applications can be explosive given the right conditions? This doesn’t have to be known flammable substances like sawdust. In fact, food product dusts like flour and sugar, and metallic dust, like aluminium can be a risk. Dusts can be found in the local environment where processing occurs, but can also settle as a dust layer. Both are a hazard and can ignite given a worst case scenario! Equipment used in these dusty environments may need to offer added protection to avoid such explosions

It’s important when choosing your hazardous area lighting for dusty zones to ensure that you have selected the right specification to cover your zoned area requirements. Potentially explosive environments must first be correctly assessed and then classified in order for the correct products to be chosen. These environments then need to be designed and installed, following industry standards and regulations, by qualified personnel.

Dusty Zone Classifications

You will notice that Petrel products are certified for use in various zones. Detailed within the specification, some zones classify gases or vapours, and other zones classify areas where a potential explosion may occur due to the presence of dust in the atmosphere or as a layer. The dust zone classifications are as follows: