Do You Comply?

More importantly - is your facility a ticking time-bomb?

Facilities which have areas with potentially explosive atmospheres (hazardous areas) must follow carefully written rules regarding operating those areas, both in terms of how the area is defined and operated but also as to what equipment can safely be installed and utilized in such areas.

The primary purpose of those rules is simple, yet immensely critical - to prevent a potentially CATASTROPHIC explosion.

Such atmospheres can be comprised of gas, dust, or other materials, and preventing their ignition is something that must be taken very, very seriously - failing to do so an result in extremely significant damages, injuries, or any number of deaths.

Hazardous areas aren't confined to the oil, gas, and chemical industries.  Many other industries utilize materials or processes which can generate explosive mixtures - which can be gases, vapors, or even dusts - which need to be considered:

• Power Generation - coal (dust), natural gas
• Gas Suppliers - natural gas, LNG
• Fuel Stations & Transportation
• Agriculture - biogas, methane
• Landfills - gases produced by decomposition
• Waste Treatment Plants
• Woodworking Industry - dust & fibers
• Grain and Sugar Processing & Storage
• Food Industry - dusts
• Paint Spraying & Handling

 

Managing hazardous areas properly - and safely - requires a comprehensive, well-planned hazardous area management program.  To be effective, such a program should include - at a minimum - up-to-date hazardous area drawings and equipment listings, training records of personnel, inspection schedules and results, and information on the hazards present in each area.

Establishing and maintaining a comprehensive and proactive hazardous area equipment program, however, can be daunting.  The sheer scope of trying to establish a complete inventory of all equipment located in various hazardous areas along with the relevant data regarding it's certification for use in hazardous areas can be huge, especially in large facilities.  In addition, performing a thorough inspection of each piece of equipment, both to determine condition and suitability for its location AND to establish a "baseline" record of its condition, is extremely time-consuming and requires personnel who are thoroughly knowledgeable of the requirements for both the equipment and the area.  Once those tasks are accomplished, a periodic schedule must then be established to ensure that each piece of such equipment is inspected, at a minimum, every 3 to 5 years.

Many facilities lack the personnel resources to accomplish an initial inspection and inventory - not only in terms of numbers of personnel, but also in terms of personnel with the requisite knowledge.

 ATEC Training & Certification Services can help.  ATEC was founded to assist companies operating hazardous areas, with the goal of helping them to do so as safely as possible.  ATEC can help you not only bring your facility into compliant and SAFE operation, we can train your personnel to keep it that way.  Our services include:

• A complete, comprehensive inspection of all hazardous areas and equipment installed in each area.  These surveys are conducted by qualified, experienced inspectors who have extensive knowledge of various standards, industry operating practices, and safety principles.  Each inspection results in a complete inventory of every piece of equipment installed in your hazardous areas, and a comprehensive report is provided indicating all relevant data for each, including location, condition, and certification details.  A separate listing of all discrepancies found, along with necessary parts listing for repairs, is also provided - along with a color photo of each discrepancy for easier identification.
• A complete analysis of your facilities hazardous area management program, including equipment conditions, zoning verification, drawing updates, and personnel evaluations.  Upon completion, you will know exactly where your facility stands in regards to hazardous area management, both in terms of regulatory compliance and from a safe operations standpoint.
• Hazardous Area Electrical Training for all necessary personnel.  This training ranges from full installation techniques and practice for installation and maintenance personnel to basic information classes suitable for management personnel and relevant staff.  Our instructors are knowledgeable in multiple standards and industry practices, and can tailor the training programs to provide your company with exactly the levels of knowledge each type of staff requires to operate safely and within the regulatory standards.

 

By offering the needed expertise to bring your company within compliance and safety requirements for operating hazardous areas PLUS training your personnel to keep it that way, ATEC Training & Certification Services can provide your company with the most comprehensive hazardous area management programs available. 

 

Our dual-approach gives your company the ability to operate as safely as possible and avoid potentially catastrophic events - and shouldn't that be your "bottom line"?