This European Standard specifies methods for explosion prevention and protection in mining by outlining the basic concepts and methodology for the design and construction of equipment, protective systems and components.
This European Standard applies to Group I equipment, protective systems and components intended for use in underground parts of mines and those parts of their surface installations at risk from firedamp and/or flammable dust.
NOTE Detailed information on specific equipment, protective systems and components is contained in the relevant individual standards. Safety-relevant data regarding flammable materials and explosive atmospheres are required for the design and construction of the explosion protection measures.
This European Standard specifies methods for the identification and assessment of hazardous situations that may lead to explosions and describes the design and construction measures appropriate for the required safety. This is achieved by
- risk assessment;
- risk reduction.
The safety of equipment, protective systems, and components can be achieved by eliminating hazards and/or limiting the risk, i.e.
a) by appropriate design (without using safeguarding);
b) by safeguarding;
c) by information for use;
d) by any other preventive measures.
Measures in accordance with a) (prevention) and b) (protection) against explosions are dealt with in clause 6 of this standard, measures according to c) against explosions are dealt with in clause 7 of this standard. Mea¬sures in accordance with d) are not described in this European Standard. They are dealt with in EN ISO 12100:2010, clause 6.
The preventive and protective measures described in this European Standard will not provide the required level of safety unless the equipment, protective systems and components are operated in line with their intended use and are installed and maintained according to the relevant codes of practice or requirements.
This standard is applicable to any equipment, protective systems and components intended to be used in potentially explosive atmospheres. These atmospheres can arise from flammable materials processed, used or released by the equipment, protective systems and components or from materials in the vicinity of the equipment, protective systems and components and/or from the materials of construction of the equipment, protective systems and components.
As shot firing can release potentially explosive atmospheres, this standard is also applicable to the equipment used for shot firing, apart from the explosives and detonators.
This standard is applicable to equipment, protective systems and components at all stages of use.
This standard is not applicable to:
- medical devices intended for use in a medical environment;
- equipment, protective systems and components where the explosion hazard results exclusively from the presence of explosives or unstable chemical substances;
- equipment, protective systems and components where the explosion can result from reaction of substances with oxidising agents other than atmospheric oxygen or by other hazardous reactions or conditions other than atmospheric conditions;
- equipment intended for use in domestic and non-commercial environments where explosive atmospheres may only rarely be created and solely as a result of the accidental leakage of fuel gas;
- personal protective equipment covered by Directive 89/686/EEC; the design and construction of systems containing desired, controlled combustion processes, unless they can act as ignition sources in potentially explosive atmospheres;
- mines where firedamp and/or flammable dust are not naturally present and surface installations such as coal preparation plants, power plants, coke oven plants etc. in which an explosive atmosphere can be present, but which are not part of a coal mine. These are covered by EN 1127-1:2011.
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