Explosion Protection Document (EPD)
Safety is of crucial importance in the industry. Protecting your employees and your equipment against potential explosion hazards is paramount. 123ATEX.eu ® continually helps you identify these risks and take the right measures. We do this through various services, such as a QuickScan or by drawing up an Explosion Protection Document (EPD). Here, we explain more about the Explosion Protection Document.
What is an Explosion Protection Document?
An EPD is an overarching document that identifies risks and describes appropriate technical and organisational measures to control them. The risks are analysed by assessing the design, use, and operation of your installation against the 13 ignition sources from the EN 1127-1 standard.
This standard specifies which ignition sources you should consider, such as electrical and mechanical sparks, as well as electromagnetic waves and adiabatic compression. Within gas zones, 13 ignition sources are assessed, and in dust zones, there are 9. For each source, we map out the extent of the risk for your specific business installation.
When is an Explosion Protection Document mandatory?
The ATEX Directive 153 determines when companies are required to have an EPD. A good rule of thumb is: do you have hazardous products on-site? If so, it is highly likely that an EPD is mandatory.
Technical and Organisational Measures
After the ignition sources have been identified, it is crucial to implement measures to minimise the risks. These are divided into technical and organisational measures within an EPD.
- Technical measures are practical solutions to reduce risks. For example, replacing a standard light bulb with an ATEX-certified one.
- Organisational measures include rules of conduct for working in areas with an explosion risk.
Within an EPD, the hazardous zones must also be correctly classified. This is done based on the European standards NEN-EN-IEC 60079-10-1 (for gas) and NEN-EN-IEC 60079-10-2 (for dust), which cover the classification of areas where a potentially explosive atmosphere may be present. The Dutch practical guideline 7910 (NPR-7910) parts 1 and 2 provide a manual for this. Additionally, zoning is determined by the likelihood of an explosive atmosphere occurring, which depends on sources of danger, product properties, and the quantity of product that can be released.
Our working method
The working method of 123ATEX.eu ® for drawing up an EPD always begins with a site visit. We believe it is important to get a realistic picture of your situation.
We don’t unnecessarily fill the document with standard texts; we get straight to the point. We also assist you in devising suitable technical and organisational measures to minimise risks as much as possible. Even after the EPD has been drawn up, we continue to support you, for example, by conducting internal audits or assisting with external audits.
Would you like to get in touch with one of our specialists to have an EPD drawn up? Please feel free to contact us.
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