Cost effective explosion safety

In today's economic climate many companies are seeking cost-effective solutions when designing for explosion safety. This is important because as competition intensifies, all costs must be taken into account. To date, various codes of practice have been applied in order to determine acceptable levels of safety. Important factors which affect costs are: (a) the size and nature of the area classified as hazardous; (b) the choice of equipment; and (c) the long-term maintenance of the integrity of a system and its components. The author discusses hazardous area classification and the price of equipment selection including flameproof enclosures, gas detectors, and intrinsically safe circuits.<>