Weighing Indicators for Hazardous Areas

A hazardous-area scale indicator is a type of weighing instrument designed for use in environments where there is a risk of explosion or fire due to the presence of flammable gases, vapors, or dust. These environments are known as hazardous areas or potentially explosive atmospheres.

Hazardous-area scale indicators are used in a variety of industries, including chemical, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and food processing, where accurate weighing of materials is required in potentially hazardous environments. They are typically used in conjunction with weighing platforms, load cells, and other weighing components that are also certified for use in hazardous areas.

To ensure that an intrinsically safe weighing indicator meets the appropriate safety standards, it must be certified by a recognized testing agency, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), for use in the specific hazardous environment where it will be used. The certification process involves rigorous testing to ensure that the instrument is safe to use and will not cause any explosions or fires in the hazardous area. Refer to the datasheet for your specific product to confirm it meets your production area’s requirements for hazardous-area safety.

Some of the commonly recognized testing and certification organizations that can certify equipment weighing terminals for hazardous areas as intrinsically safe include:

1. International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC): IEC is an international standards organization that develops and publishes standards for a variety of industries, including those related to electrical equipment used in hazardous locations.

1. Underwriters Laboratories (UL): UL is a global safety certification company that is authorized to perform safety testing by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the United States. Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) evaluate products against the standards defined by OSHA to ensure compliance to the requirements and provide certification services for products and equipment that are used in hazardous locations, including intrinsically safe equipment.

1. ATEX Notified Bodies: In Europe, the ATEX (Atmosphere Explosibles) directives govern the use of equipment in hazardous areas. ATEX Notified Bodies are organizations that have been authorized by European Union member states to carry out conformity assessments for products and equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.  

1. Canadian Standards Association (CSA): CSA is a standards development organization that also offers testing and certification services for a wide range of products and equipment, including those used in hazardous areas, in accordance with the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC).

Certification by one of these organizations is essential to ensure that equipment is designed and tested to meet the appropriate safety standards for use in hazardous areas.