Audio deep dive
5:30What a hazardous-area drawing proves—and what it does not
A two-host explanation of zones, study inputs, equipment evidence and why South African surface, mining and regional acceptance routes must remain distinct.
Editorial note: This AI-produced discussion is an accessible companion to the written guide and may simplify or paraphrase technical and regulatory points. For precise terminology, standards references and engineering boundaries, refer to the written article and its cited sources. Always follow the applicable OEM instructions, approved site procedures and project-specific engineering requirements.
A credible classification lets a plant trace every zone boundary back to a substance, release source, ventilation assumption and operating case—and then carry that basis into equipment selection and change control.
01 — Define the decision
Classification defines the location requirement. It does not close every Ex obligation.
A hazardous location is assessed because flammable gas, vapour, mist or combustible dust may combine with air to form an explosive atmosphere. Classification identifies the zone type and its three-dimensional extent under a documented operating basis.
The result informs equipment protection, installation and operating controls. It does not certify a product, approve an installation, replace a process-risk assessment or predict the consequence of an ignition.
Classification
Where can an explosive atmosphere occur, of what type and to what extent?
Equipment evidence
Does the apparatus marking, certificate and protection level suit that location?
Installation evidence
Was the equipment designed, installed, inspected and maintained correctly?
02 — Check the edition
The gas and dust standards are no longer on the same international edition cycle
The governing basis must be stated in the study. “IEC 60079 compliant” is too vague when the international dust-classification standard changed in 2026 and the verified South African adoption is still the 2018 edition.
SANS 10108:2023
South African framework
Edition 7 is the current published South African framework identified in the official standards notice for classifying hazardous locations and selecting equipment for explosive atmospheres.
IEC / SANS 60079-10-1
Gas, vapour and mist
IEC 60079-10-1:2020, with its 2021 corrigendum, is the international gas-classification edition. South Africa published SANS 60079-10-1:2023 as an identical adoption.
IEC 60079-10-2:2026
Combustible dust
IEC published Edition 3 in June 2026. The verified South African notice still identifies SANS 60079-10-2:2018, based on IEC Edition 2; confirm the project-specified SANS edition before use.
Edition control matters: confirm the current SABS catalogue, contract specification and legal incorporation. Do not silently substitute a newer IEC edition for the published SANS edition.
03 — Two hazard families
Gas zones and dust zones use parallel logic—but different numbers and evidence
The zone expresses how likely an explosive atmosphere is to be present and for how long. It does not describe consequence. The EPL shown is the expected minimum relationship; complete selection still needs the substance group, temperature, environment and certificate conditions.
Gas, vapour and mist
Combustible dust
Do not classify by indicative hours alone. The familiar greater-than-1,000, 10–1,000 and under-10-hour bands are explanatory conventions, not the normative zone definitions.
04 — Build the basis
A useful study starts with plant evidence—not a borrowed drawing
Classification is multidisciplinary. Process knowledge defines the releases; operations explains real modes; maintenance and electrical teams expose installation and change history; the classification specialist turns those inputs into a controlled basis.
- 01Process descriptions, P&IDs and current plot plans
- 02Substance data: flash point, gas or dust group, ignition temperature and other relevant properties
- 03Normal, start-up, shutdown, cleaning and foreseeable abnormal operating conditions
- 04Release sources, grades of release and credible release parameters
- 05Ventilation type, availability, effectiveness and obstructions
- 06Equipment openings, drains, pits, trenches, enclosed spaces and dust layers
- 07Existing zone drawings, equipment registers and modification history
- 08Input from process, operations, maintenance, electrical and safety personnel
05 — Carry the requirement forward
A zone number is only the first filter in equipment selection
Illustrative gas-equipment marking
Ex db IIB T4 Gb
Ex db
Type of protection
IIB
Gas subgroup
T4
Temperature class
Gb
Equipment protection level
Illustration only. Read the complete product marking, certificate, schedule, suffixes and special conditions for the actual apparatus.
- 01
Zone and EPL
Start with the classified location and required protection level.
- 02
Gas or dust group
Match the substance group to the apparatus marking and certificate.
- 03
Temperature
Check temperature class or maximum surface temperature against the substance.
- 04
Protection concept
Confirm the Ex technique is suitable for the application, installation and maintenance regime.
- 05
Certificate and conditions
Read the certificate, suffixes, special conditions and local acceptance route—not only the nameplate.
06 — South African surface industries
The legal route connects classification, suitable apparatus, certification and recurring inspection
Regulation 9 of the Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011 requires an employer using electrical machinery in a hazardous location to identify and classify that location, use electrical machinery suitable for it, obtain the prescribed certificate and arrange inspection and testing at intervals not exceeding two years.
SANS 10108 is incorporated under section 44 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The 2022 National Code of Practice for Electrical Machinery in Hazardous Locations adds the surface-industry certification framework for explosion-protected apparatus.
What to verify
- Applicable IA certificate and current status
- Certificate schedule and special conditions
- Match between product, marking and certified configuration
- Installation CoC and inspection records
What not to assume
- An IECEx CoC or ATEX document alone completes the local route
- A ten-year manufacturing certificate means apparatus expires after ten years
- A nameplate proves the installed unit matches every condition
- Classification and product certification are the same decision
The National Code states a ten-year validity period for manufacturing purposes. Apparatus manufactured while that certificate was valid remains considered certified after the certificate expires. Overseas-certificate-based IA certificates follow a different, shorter validity framework.
07 — Jurisdiction matters
Do not turn a South African surface-industry pathway into a regional promise
Mining
South African mines fall under the Mine Health and Safety Act and DMRE framework. Equipment groups, methane and coal-dust hazards, certification and competent-person duties must be assessed under that regime—not copied from a surface plant.
Southern Africa
IEC zone terminology may be familiar across the region, but legislation, standards adoption, accreditation, product acceptance and enforcement differ. Confirm each country and sector before stating a compliance route.
08 — Keep the basis alive
Management of change should reopen the classification before the plant outgrows it
- A process, substance, pressure, temperature or operating envelope changes.
- Ventilation, walls, openings, pits, drainage or equipment layout changes.
- A release source is added, removed or altered.
- Dust generation, housekeeping or layer accumulation changes.
- New equipment or a different protection concept is proposed.
- An incident, near miss, inspection finding or operating experience challenges an assumption.
- Drawings no longer match the plant or the governing standard and legal basis changes.
09 — Five misconceptions
Shortcuts that break the evidence chain
“A Zone 2 area is basically safe.”
Zone 2 means an explosive gas atmosphere is not likely in normal operation and, if it occurs, exists only briefly. It still requires suitable equipment, installation and controls.
“The 1,000 / 10-hour rule determines the zone.”
Those hour bands are common explanatory shorthand, not the normative zone definitions. Classification depends on release characteristics, ventilation and the standard method.
“An IECEx or ATEX certificate is all we need in South Africa.”
International evidence can support the route, but South African electrical machinery requirements and the applicable IA-certificate pathway must still be checked.
“Once the drawing is approved, it is valid forever.”
A classification records a defined plant and operating basis. Management of change must trigger review whenever its assumptions change.
“The same report works across Southern Africa and for mines.”
The IEC technical language may travel, but legal triggers and approval routes do not. Mining has a separate South African regime, and every neighbouring jurisdiction needs a country-specific check.
Common questions
Hazardous-area questions plant teams ask first
What is the main deliverable from hazardous area classification?+
A controlled classification dossier normally records the basis, substances, release sources, ventilation assumptions, zone types and three-dimensional extents, drawings, responsible inputs and limitations. The exact deliverables should be agreed for the site and project stage.
Do the familiar 1,000, 10–1,000 and under-10 hours define Zones 0, 1 and 2?+
No. They are widely used indicative bands, not the normative IEC definitions. The zones are defined qualitatively by the likelihood and duration of an explosive atmosphere, and the classification method considers releases, ventilation and site conditions.
Does a hazardous area drawing prove that installed equipment complies?+
No. The drawing establishes the location requirements. Equipment selection, certification, installation, inspection, maintenance and the certificate of compliance are separate evidence chains that must align with the classification.
Can IECEx- or ATEX-certified equipment be installed directly in South Africa?+
Do not assume so. International certification may support a South African certification assessment, but the applicable Inspection Authority certificate, certificate status, special conditions and installation requirements must be confirmed before acceptance.
When should an existing classification be reviewed?+
Review it through management of change whenever substances, operating conditions, releases, ventilation, layout or equipment change, and when incidents, inspections or revised requirements undermine its assumptions. A fixed calendar interval alone is not enough.
Authoritative references
Sources and further reading
Four supplied research reports were consolidated for this rewrite. Conflicting edition and certification claims were resolved against IEC catalogue records, official South African standards notices, consolidated regulations and scheme-owner material.
- IEC — IEC 60079-10-1:2020, Edition 3.0
- IEC — Corrigendum 1 to IEC 60079-10-1:2020
- IEC — IEC 60079-10-2:2026, Edition 3.0
- IEC — IEC 60079-14:2024 for electrical installation design and initial inspection
- IEC — IEC 60079-17:2023 for inspection and maintenance
- South African Government — notice issuing SANS 10108:2023, Edition 7
- South African Government — notice issuing SANS 60079-10-1:2023
- South African Government — notice issuing SANS 60079-10-2:2018
- SAFLII — Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011
- SAFLII — incorporation of SANS 10108 under the OHS Act
- South African Government — National Code of Practice for Electrical Machinery in Hazardous Locations, 2022
- DMRE — ARP 0108:2018 certification of explosion-protected apparatus
- IECEx — Certified Equipment Scheme FAQs
- SANAS — South African National Accreditation System
- SAFLII — Mine Health and Safety Act 29 of 1996
What this article does not promise
This article does not claim that Touch Teqniques Engineering is SANAS-accredited, an approved inspection authority, an approved test laboratory or a product-certification body. It does not certify equipment, issue IA certificates, guarantee legal compliance or replace a site-specific classification by competent people. Certification, installation design, inspection and legal interpretation require the correct independent scope and authority.
This guide is general technical information. Confirm the applicable legislation, standards editions, sector, certificate route, competence and project basis for the specific site and decision.
Research status
Source-led technical briefing
Primary standards and South African regulatory sources checked
This article was rebuilt from a consolidated technical research pack and checked against current IEC catalogue pages and published South African regulatory material. It is general information and does not replace a site-specific engineering, legal or approved-inspection-authority assessment.
Research updated: 11 August 2026
Relevant domains: Hazardous area classification, SANS 10108, IEC 60079 gas and dust zones, South African Ex equipment boundaries.