Exploding risk

Citation

(2002), "Exploding risk", Work Study, Vol. 51 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.2002.07951faf.005

Exploding risk

Exploding risk

In July 2003, the ATEX and Chemical Agents Directives will bring important changes to legislation affecting all those working in hazardous areas. The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) are designed to protect employees, people on site working for other employers, visitors and members of the public, and to harmonise conditions across the EU.

An explosive atmosphere is defined as a mixture with air under atmospheric conditions and dangerous substances in the form of gases, vapours, mist or dust in which ignition has occurred and combustion spreads to the entire unburned mixture. Some mixtures require very small amounts of energy to ignite them with potentially disastrous consequences. Obviously, some industries – such as petrochemical production or mining – have real risks, but included in the activities likely to be covered by these regulations are:

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  use of flammable solvents in laboratories (even in schools), or as cleaning agents;

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  storage of fuels for cars, construction equipment, horticultural machinery, etc.;

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  storage and display of flammable goods in the retail sector;

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  transport of flammable liquids in containers around the workplace;

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  use of flammable gases such as acetylene, for welding;

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  handling and storage of flammable wastes including fuel oils;

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  hot work on tank of drums that have contained flammable materials; and

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  equipment and protective systems relating to power failure and energy dissipation.

Risk assessment

ATEX 137 (Protection of Workers at Risk from Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Directive) requires employers to carry out a risk assessment before starting new activites which involve dangerous substances. They must assess how the activity might go wrong, fail and give rise to fire, explosion, etc., having discovered any weak/risk points, the employer must eliminate or minimise as far as reasonably practicable, the safety risks.

The ATEX regulations define the concept of workplace very widely. The term includes all industrial and commercial premises, common parts of shared buildings, private roads and paths on industrial estates, business parks and even houses.

Operators of hazardous installations must ensure that the equipment they use incorporates the appropriate explosion protection methods, and suppliers of equipment have to ensure that their products are suitable for the intended use and are designed and manufactured to meet the explosion standards. "Equipment", in these terms, covers any item which contains or constitutes a potential ignition source, and includes safety or control devices installed outside hazardous areas but having an explosion protection function. There is a wide range of industrial products that fall within the definition of equipment such as electric motors, compressors, diesel engines, light fittings, control and communication devices, and monitoring and detection equipment.

For more information see www.hse.gov.uk/spd/cadatex.htm