Hazardous Locations in North America

Listings and certifications for equipment used in North America are made by Underwriters Laboratory and Canadian Standards Association. Most Dataforth products have been listed or certified and have suitable markings. These require equipment to be safe for operation in hazardous locations.

In North America, hazardous locations are now defined by a system of classes and zones.

Class I – A location made hazardous by the presence of flammable gases or vapors that may be present in the air in quantities sufficient to produce an explosive or ignitable mixture.

Class II – A location made hazardous by the presence of combustible or electrically conductive dust.

Class III – A location made hazardous by the presence of easily ignitable fibers or flyings in the air, but not likely to be in suspension in quantities sufficient to produce ignitable mixtures.

Zone 0 – An area in which an explosive gas atmosphere is continuously present for a long period of time.

Zone 1 – An area in which an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation.

Zone 3 – An area in which an explosive gas atmosphere does not normally exist.

Dataforth invests heavily in hazardous location listings or certifications complying with worldwide standards.  Our products can help end users and customer’s OEM products comply with these requirements.