HazLoc Evaluations – Behind the Scenes Information about Intrinsic Safety

Today, I read an email from our HazLoc engineering department that I think is extremely useful not only for F2 Labs personnel, but also for our clients who are working on what is required and how to comply. Your first steps in any compliance project will determine the two most important metrics: how much money will it cost and how long will it take?

See the correspondence below and reach out to us with any questions about this or any compliance questions you have.

Since this came up in a meeting today: With US and Canadian Intrinsic safety approvals, we can use several different standards. It’s a bit of an unusual situation and came about because manufacturers pushed back years ago when the new standards came out and did not want to have design their equipment to meet the new requirements.  

In Canada, the most current intrinsic safety standard is CSA C22.2 No. 60079-11:2014 (R2023). However, we are still allowed to certify products to the previous intrinsic safety standard CSA C22.2 No. 157-1992. We are able to use CSA 157 through 9-1-2027. Those listings would be able to stay approved to CSA 157 to end of life of the product unless the mfg makes a major change to their equipment after 9-1-2027.

In the USA, the most current version of the intrinsic safety standard is UL913, 8th edition.   However, in the USA, we are allowed to use UL913, 5th edition as an alternate (indefinitely, or at least for the foreseeable future). We are also allowed to use UL913, 6th edition if the product is required to be certified to that specific standard. This typically applies to PASS device and other firefighter equipment that is certified to NFPA 1981/1982/1983

The reason why a customer may want to use CSA C22.2 No. 157 and UL913, 5th edition instead of the more current standard is because the requirements in the new standards are more stringent and in some cases will require major re-designs of their equipment. One example is for non-metallic enclosures. The newer standard requires that we assess the enclosure for potential static ignition concerns while the older standards do not. There are a lot of these types of situations between the standards.

1. New Electrostatic Hazard Requirements for Non-Metallic Enclosures and Enclosure Parts.

2. Increased scrutiny for Metallic Enclosures and Enclosure Parts.

3. Increased Safety Factor Requirements for Spark Ignition.

4. Higher level of required conformance for many Protective Components.

5. New requirements for fuses.

6. New enclosure requirements for both Class I and Class II & III.

7. New Drop Test Requirements.

8. New Battery Requirements.

9. New Requirements for Small Components, PC Boards, and Wiring.

10. New requirements for connections (field, internal, and permanently-connected-cables).

11. New PC Board Coatings requirements.

12. Addition of new required testing, both type and routine testing.

13. New requirements for isolating elements (transformers, blocking capacitors, optos).

NOTE: If a customer is also going for an ATEX and/or IECEx approval, then we would always use UL913, 8th edition and CSA 60079-11 since those are harmonized with ATEX/IECEx requirements. The above would only apply for customers that only need US and Canadian approvals.

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