ISA12 Developments

ISA has published ANSI/ISA-12.12.01, "Nonincendive Electrical Equipment for Use in Class I and II, Division 2 and Class III, Divisions 1 and 2 Hazardous (Classified) Locations." The standard, developed by the ISA12 committee, Electrical Equipment for Hazardous Locations, provides minimum requirements for the design, construction, and marking of electrical equipment or parts of such equipment for use in Class I and Class II, Division 2 and Class III, Divisions 1 and 2 hazardous (classified) locations. The equipment, in normal operation and under the conditions prescribed in the standard, is not capable of causing ignition of the surrounding atmosphere. However, the equipment may contain electronic components that operate at incendive levels and may also have field wiring that is incendive.

The standard will serve to establish uniformity in test methods for determining the suitability of the equipment and associated circuits and components as they relate to potential ignition of a specific flammable gas or vapor-in-air mixture, combustible dust, easily ignitable fibers, or flyings.

In other ISA12 news, the committee has established a new mining working group that will focus initially on developing standards for equipment used in potentially flammable locations within underground mines. The committee plans to provide the underground mining industry with industry consensus standards and related information for the design and use of underground mining equipment. This work will also cover equipment to detect materials within their combustible ranges.

The new working group intends to provide the US Mine Safety and Health Administration with industry consensus documents to aid in promulgating regulations under Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and to participate in the development of international standards for such mining equipment. “The work of this group will truly affect all of the US underground mining industry,” said working group chairman Tom Dubaniewicz. “We believe this important work will make the mining industry safer, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

Related to the ISA12 standards work, ISA is the Administrator through the American National Standards Institute of the United States Technical Advisory Group (USTAG) to IEC TC31, Electrical Apparatus for Explosive Atmospheres. Several members of ISA12 are leaders on the USTAG.

Earlier this year, the IEC and ISO management boards created a new subcommittee under IEC TC31, provisionally numbered SC31M, to develop double logo IEC/ISO standards in the field of nonelectrical equipment and protective systems for explosive atmospheres. The inaugural plenary meeting of SC31M will be held in Kuala Lumpur in November 2007 with the US delegation to the TC31 plenary also serving as the delegation to the SC31M plenary. The USNC will soon issue a call for members to form a new USTAG for SC31M, who in the future will coordinate the US participation in SC31M.

For more information, contact Eliana Beattie, ebeattie@isa.org.