Intrinsically safe is an attribute applied to electrical equipment that is designated for use in explosion-prone areas.
A device termed intrinsically safe is designed to not contain any components that produce sparks or which can hold enough energy that could produce a spark.
The term Intrinsically safe, is often misused and very misunderstood. Many torches are deemed Intrinsically Safe, however, they are not all safe to use in every situation.
Intrinsically Safe Torches are classified by Zones, Class & Division.
There are slight variations between the European standards & the USA standards.
Some examples of classifications for Hazardous locations would be:
- A Torch that is rated for use in all hazardous locations (ie: OffShore Platforms, gas leaks, petrol fumes or confined explosive atmospheres) would be rated Zone 0, Class 1, Division 1. (Or possibly Zone 1, Class 1, Division 1)
- A Torch that is rated for use in or around a hazardous location that does not normally have an immediate volatile threat (ie: A service station that has no fuel leaking, a gas transport vehicle that has no leaks etc), would have a rating of Zone 2, Class 1 Division 2.
Each torch manufacturer offer various products for different requirments. Make sure your torch is suited for the job at hand.
Generally speaking, a Zone 1 rated Torch will be suitable for most Urban type Fire Fighting applications, whilst a Zone 2 torch is generally more suited for wildfire applications.
US CLASIFICATION
Division 1: Where volatile substances can exist all of the time or some of the time under normal operating conditions.
Division 2: Where volatile substances are not likely to exist under normal operating conditions.
EUROPEAN CLASSIFICATIONS
Category 1 / Zone 0: Flammable material present for long periods (more than 1.000 hours a year)
Category 2 / Zone 1: Flammable material present in normal operation (10- 1.000 hours a year)
Category 3 / Zone 2: Flammable material present for short periods (less than 10 hours a year)
