Global compliance of rooms in hazardous areas

This paper reviews the current legislation for certifying rooms in hazardous areas with the following aims: to describe the major aspects of certifying rooms for use in the international market place and establish the appropriate body for this assessment. This is achieved by reviewing the current status of the International Electrical Commission, its member states and the progress made towards being incorporated into national legislation. The International Electrical Commission standard is analysed to determine the suitability of the protection concepts and to consider how it reflects current market practices; The harmonised European Standard for Transportable Ventilated Rooms, The North American Fire Protection Association and Det Norske Veritas' standards for off-shore containers are all considered. The discussed differences aim to guide designers in the standards application and how to achieve global compliance.