Working in hazardous lighting fixtures is a fact of life for many, but it does not always have to be as dangerous as it might seem. There are effective ways of minimizing the threats associated with most inherently hazardous environments, and many of them include the installation of suitable types of supporting equipment.

 

For example, industrial lighting fixtures that are tuned to accommodate particular hazardous environments can turn out to be some of the most important investments of all. A look at how hazardous location lighting can serve especially well in a particular family of such environments could be enlightening.

 

Explosive Vapors and Gases Represent Some of the Most Significant Threats of All

 

Groups like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have for many years classified particular environmental hazards according to basic type and related details. Under the scheme developed by the NFPA, so-called "Class I" locations, for example, are those that might include the presence of explosive gases or vapors.

 

These locations are further broken down into three separate divisions, each of which implies particular requirements with regard to hazardous location LED lighting that might be installed. These three subgroups are:

 

Division 1. A location in the first of the three divisions is one where gases can be expected to collect in hazardous fashion entirely or nearly as a matter of course. Whether that is because such developments are regarded as unavoidable or since even a minor failure of associated systems could result in a problem, environments like these almost always necessitate the installation of explosion proof lighting.

 

Division 2. In the second type of Class I location, active means of preventing the concentration of gases and vapors will be relied upon to prevent the associated dangers from developing. Should any related type of failure result, the dangers involved could therefore be as significant as those typical of Division 1 situations.

 

Zone-designated dangers. A further breakdown of the remaining types of Class I locations into three separate zones provides even more refinement and detail. In each of these specialized cases, particular, associated requirements will impact the selection of emergency lighting equipment.

 

https://medium.com/@browneclaric89/how-to-choose-the-best-type-of-lighting-for-a-hazardous-location-d64af15b61ca Lighting for a Particular Hazardous Environment

 

Because hazardous locations can therefore vary significantly in terms of their basic natures and the types and scales of the related dangers, emergency lighting must always be chosen such that a close fit with specific requirements can be achieved. Doing so is the only way of making sure that the dangers inherent in particular environments can always be kept to a minimum.