Confined Spaces | Light, Power, Heat & Ventilation for Explosive Atmospheres

Published 27 Apr 2021

Confined Spaces HEAT | VENTILATION | POWER | LIGHT

uploaded by Chris Dodds | Sales & Marketing Manager with Thorne & Derrick International

In this post Thorne & Derrick – The Experts in Equipment for Explosive Atmospheres – explain the dangers of confined space working and how we alleviate those risks with the provision of certified and safe confined space lighting, power, heat and ventilation to ensure workers can carry out maintenance, repair and installation works in hazardous area locations with potentially explosive atmospheres.

What is a Confined Space?

“A confined space is a place which is substantially enclosed (though not always entirely), and where serious injury can occur from hazardous substances or conditions within the space or nearby (e.g. lack of oxygen)” – HSE | Health & Safety Executive UK.

Specific Confined Space Working Risks

The following factors common to working in confined spaces cause acute effects including impairment of judgement, unconsciousness and death. Confined Space can refer to any workplace, including a vessel, tank, container, pit, bund, chamber, cellar or any other similar space which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, creates those conditions that give rise to a likelihood of an accident, harm or injury of such a nature as to require emergency action.

Oxygen Deficiency
Oxygen Enrichment
Flammable or Explosive Atmospheres
Flowing Liquid or Free Flowing Solids
Excessive Heat

Claustrophobia is the irrational fear of confined spaces where the risk perception is subjective and personal.

However, the more rational dangers of confined space working, namely the threat to life posed by fire and explosive atmospheres, affects all workers.

Nevermind, possible hypoxia and asphyxiation caused by the suffocating effects of oxygen depletion.

Storage materials in confined spaces can deposit concentrations of potentially explosive vapours or gases – invisible but lethal potentially explosive pockets can accumulate presenting toxic and flammable hazards to workers.

For example, solvent-based paints and paint solvents are often flammable or emit vapours that pose hazardous risks when densely concentrated – such vapours can burst into flame when exposed to sparks or flames.

Reducing fire hazards and safety risks in confined spaces requires hazardous area certified explosion-proof heating, lighting, ventilation and power supply systems – a start-to-finish safety and rescue plan will review the specific equipment needed.

Confined space teams measure oxygen levels and toxic gas levels using portable gas detectors – hazardous atmospheres should be monitored for gas detection prior to entry and then continuously during the work task.

When the hazardous areas of a workspace or site have been classified, the remainder will be defined as non-hazardous, sometimes referred to as ‘safe areas’ – but how safe is “safe”?

Lighting

Wolf LinkEx Confined Space Lighting Kits

Thorne & Derrick International distribute ATEX certified portable lighting kits for safe lighting and use in hazardous area Zone 1 & 2 (Gas, Vapour & Mist Explosive Atmospheres) and Zone 21 & 22 (Dust Explosive Atmospheres).

Wolf ATEX LinkEx provides reliable and versatile hazardous area lighting according to both ATEX Directive and IECEx classification standards – the portable and temporary floodlights utilise LED technology as a light source.

The LinkEx Tank Lighting kits allow for a flexible set-up of high quality task and ambient lighting to suit all confined space working conditions in tanks and vessels and offers your workers the highest level of safety through a configuration of:

Wolf LinkEx™ LED Temporary Luminaires
Wolf LinkEx™ Fluorescent Temporary Luminaires
Wolf LinkEx™ LED Floodlites
Handheld Leadlamps
ATEX Transformer – 230V or 110V to 24V
Range of cables, plugs and socket types and power distribution systems
Protective, fixing and mounting accessories
Temperature Classification (Gas) T3 T4

Wolf LinkEx Confined Spaces Lighting Kit ATEX – Hazardous Area Zone 1 & Zone 2

Explosion Protected Tank Lighting Kits

Confied spaces hazardous area lighting equipment requirements are centred on providing compact and portable light to explosive atmospheres including tank cleaning, confined space entry, aircraft maintenance, tunnel maintenance and sewers.

ATEX certification for safe use in Zone 1 or Zone 2 potentially explosive gas atmospheres
Low voltage 24V equipment for use in metal tanks to reduce the impact of electric shock
High light output for both ambient and task working areas
Positioning, mounting and protection accessories

Thorne & Derrick International are distributors for Wolf Safety Lamp providing an extensive range of LV intrinsically safe lighting solutions with LED and Fluorescent options both complying to ATEX certifications making the solution suitable for confined space lighting – including mounting and protection accessories. The Wolf portable lighting kit offers ultimate adaptability with regards to ambient and task lighting configurations and positioning.

The LinkEx tank lighting kits including accessories are suitable for cleaning and maintenance jobs where the equipment needs to be mounted on tripods, magnets and scaffold brackets and protected from the rigours of harsh onshore industrial and offshore applications with lens guards and protective films and grills.

Thorne & Derrick | Wolf Safety Lamp | Stockist, Supplier & Distributor

Wolf LinkEx Tank Lighting Kit ATEX - Hazardous Area Zone 1 & Zone 2

Wolf LinkEx Tank Lighting Kit ATEX – Ideal for flexible set up of temporary lighting in hazardous areas and potentially explosive atmospheres

The Wolf Safety LinkEx lighting kits are robust, durable and lightweight in design. Simple to set-up making the highly portable tank lighting solution suitable for use within a confined tank space and are extremely efficient in terms of power consumption and light output, increasing the productivity and safety of the cleaning, maintenance, repair and overhaul engineers.

Power

The cable reel with ATEX Certification enables chains of portable lighting in different confined space and hazardous areas workplace locations to be connected together and extended from one central point, allowing for an increased surface area to be lit fast and with ease.

Wolf - Hazardous Area Zone 1 & Zone 2 Handlamps, Headlamps, Torches & Floodlights (ATEX Certified)

Heating & Ventilation

Heating & Ventilation

MFH The Bulldog

World’s First Portable Electric Heater with ATEX & IECEx Certification

Portable ATEX heaters can be placed inside the confined space or ducted to provide elevated ambient temperatures to help reduce curing times or ensure the application of paint is carried out as per manufacturer’s instructions.

Ambient temperatures can be critical for the successful application of paint and protective coatings.

This can be a major obstacle, especially if work has to be carried out during winter months or cold weather working. The MFH Bulldog provides a portable and compact heating solution for explosive atmospheres and is the safest and most efficient heater available.

MFH The Bulldog | Worlds First Portable Electric Heater with ATEX & IECEx Certification

Exstream | Worlds First Portable Ventilation Fan with ATEX & IECEx Certification

Technical Resources | Hazardous Area Zones | T Class Temperature Ratings | Explosive Atmospheres (Definitions)

Specialists to the Process & Hazardous Area Industries

LEADERS IN ATEX INNOVATION

T&D are your first-choice provider of innovative and competitive solutions to ensure ATEX & IECEx Compliance for Hazardous Area Electrical, HVAC & Process Instrumentation Equipment to your UK and international projects.