Explosion safety

When you think of explosion risk, you may think of operating environments with highly flammable substances such as petrol vapour or gas, but there are many more substances that pose explosion risks.

An explosive atmosphere occurs when oxygen is mixed with a flammable substance. Besides gas and flammable vapours, this can also include, for example, wood dust, plastic particles, flour, milk powder or even metal particles.

ATEX 153 directive

The legally required protection of employees against explosion hazards is laid down in the ATEX 153 directive, further elaborated in the Netherlands in the Working Conditions Decree. This directive requires a company to identify, assess, and describe all explosion risks in an explosion protection document (EVD). 

Explosion protection document (EVD)

The EVD is mandatory if you deal with explosion-hazard areas in or around your buildings and/or installations. This document describes how to prevent the formation of an explosive atmosphere (a flammable mixture of oxygen with gas, vapours or dust particles).

What explosion protection measures?

If prevention is not possible, you must take measures against possible ignition (sparks, fire, etc.) and against the harmful consequences if, despite everything, an explosion does occur. Whenever business processes are modified or the working environment changes, this can affect explosion risks and the EDS should be updated.

Our consultants are recognised experts in the field of explosion hazards, provide explosion risk analyses and are happy to prepare an Explosion Safety Document for your organisation.

• Safety document content:
• what explosion risks exist in your company
• how big the explosion risks are
• what you will do to prevent explosions and explosion risks
• classification of your company into hazardous areas
• description of the design, operation and maintenance of work equipment and workplaces
• QHSE explosion safety consultancy

If anything changes to, for example, the workplace, machinery or the way you work, you adapt the document. Octant can draw up an explosion safety document for you and advise you on improvement measures. Want to know more? Click here to contact us.