Hazardous area classification is not a copy of an old drawing
Zone 22 often appears safe, but without current justification it is only false assurance.
Zone 22 often appears safe, but without current justification it is only false assurance.
In practice, dust hazardous area classifications are still too often copied from old layouts or previous projects. But a reliable zone classification requires more than a drawing. The emission source, dust properties, ventilation, dilution and operating conditions must be demonstrably assessed.
When ventilation fails, processes change or dust emissions increase, a paper-based zone classification can quickly lose its value.
Exquintia assesses whether your dust zoning is still physically and technically defensible.
The drawing is not decisive. What matters is the actual formation of an explosive dust atmosphere.
Have your zoning independently reviewed before Zone 22 turns out to be safety on paper only.
Sources: IEC 60079-10-2, NEN-EN-IEC 60079-14, NEN-EN-IEC 60079-17, ATEX 153.
Next step
Do you want to know whether temporary work, maintenance or modifications affect your ATEX assessment?
Exquintia reviews the EPD, zoning, equipment and work permits as one technical system, so your documentation stands up during inspection, audit or authority review.
Source: Desktop/Blogs/21-03-2026_grootste_fout/21-03-2026_EN_biggest_mistake.rtf