Could Your Uncertified Scale Trigger an Explosion? You're weighing chemicals. Mixing volatile ingredients. Processing combustible dust. One spark from the wrong equipment. That's all it takes.

Using industrial scales without certifications in hazardous areas risks lives. Every day you operate uncertified equipment near explosives, you gamble with catastrophe.

Proper industrial scale certification protects workers and businesses. Certified industrial scales designed for dangerous environments eliminate ignition risks.

Key Takeaways

• FM and UL certifications prevent scales from igniting explosive atmospheres. 

• Intrinsically safe scales limit energy, while explosion-proof scales contain blasts. 

• Non-compliant equipment leads to fines, shutdowns, and criminal charges. 

• Requirements vary by industry, including oil, gas, chemicals, pharma, and food processing.

Why Certifications Matter

Your facility handles dangerous materials. Flammable gases. Combustible dust. Explosive vapors.

Regular industrial digital scale equipment creates sparks and heat. In normal places, fine. In hazardous areas, these trigger explosions.

Certified industrial weighing systems solve this. They're built for explosive atmospheres and tested for hazardous use.

Location Classifications

• Class I has flammable gases. Refineries. Chemical plants.

• Class II has combustible dust. Grain elevators. Flour mills.

• Class III has ignitable fibers. Textile mills. Sawmills.

• Division 1 means hazards exist during normal work. Always present.

• Division 2 means hazards appear only during accidents.

Your weighing equipment needs certification matching your class and division.

Certifications Required for Hazardous Environments

Different regions require different approvals.

1. North American Standards 

The US and Canada need FM Global or UL certification. These labs test heavy duty scales against safety standards. FM approval confirms portable industrial scales meet Class I, II, and III requirements. UL certification ensures your industrial weighing scale follows National Electrical Code. Both test complete systems. Load cells. Indicators. Cables. Everything. 

2. European Requirements 

Europe requires ATEX certification. Legally required across EU. 

ATEX uses zones: 

• Zone 0: Explosive atmosphere always present 

• Zone 1: Likely during normal work 

• Zone 2: Unlikely, only during accidents. 

Your industrial digital scale needs ATEX approval before EU installation.

Global Certification IECEx provides worldwide recognition. Over 62 countries recognize it. For manufacturers selling industrial weighing solutions internationally, IECEx offers one certification for multiple markets.

Top Sectors Requiring Safe Scales

• Oil and Gas: Refineries, drilling, and pipelines need certified explosion-proof weighing scale equipment for loading trucks, measuring chemicals, and batching additives.

• Chemical Plants: Work with solvents, acids, and flammable compounds. Require Class I Division 1 equipment.

• Pharmaceutical: Drug production involves flammable solvents and combustible dust. Hazardous area weighing scales need accuracy and safety.

• Food Processing: Flour, sugar, and grain dust are explosive. Need certified hazardous area scales from receiving to packaging.

• Mining: Encounter methane gas and coal dust. Require toughest certifications.

Difference Between Explosion-Proof and Safe Scales

These protection methods ensure safe operation in hazardous environments but differ in design and application.

Intrinsically Safe Scales

Intrinsic safety prevents ignition by limiting circuit energy below spark levels, even in faults. It offers lighter weight, lower cost, easy maintenance, and Zone 0 compatibility on low-power or battery operation.

Explosion Proof Scales

Explosion-proof setups allow sparks but contain blasts in thick metal enclosures. They hold pressure if ignited, venting gases through joints. Suited for high-power, fixed installs despite a bulkier, heavier design and tougher maintenance.

Selection Guide

Your choice depends on your needs. Select intrinsically safe for portable, lightweight, flexible, low-cost needs or Zone 0. Opt for explosion-proof in permanent, high-power setups needing robustness.

Uncertified Scales in Hazardous Environments

Never use uncertified scales in hazardous areas; it's illegal under OSHA rules that strictly forbid such equipment, while the National Electrical Code mandates certification, and insurance providers exclude coverage for non-compliant gear.

Beyond legal woes, uncertified scales pose deadly safety risks by generating normal sparks and energy that trigger explosions in hazardous spots, plus massive financial hits like $16,550 OSHA fines per violation, potential criminal charges with prison time from fatality probes, and uncollectible civil liabilities.

Risks of Non-Compliant Scales

1. Regulatory Actions

Stop-use orders shut production. Follow-up inspections scrutinize everything. Increased oversight means more surprise inspections.

2. Criminal Charges

Non-compliant equipment causing deaths brings prosecution. Managers face charges. "I didn't know" isn't a defense.

3. Insurance Problems

Non-compliant scales void insurance. Claims get denied. You pay out of pocket.

Essential Compliance Steps

Classify hazardous areas by hiring professionals to assess flammable substances, locations, and frequencies, producing a precise hazard map.

Next, document all weighing devices, verify certifications, prioritize fixing high-risk violations, then buy equipment certified for your specific class, division, group, and region, complete with documentation. 

Maintain compliance via attached labels, certified parts, documented procedures (missing labels signal non-compliance), and team-wide training for operators, maintenance, supervisors, and management, with annual refreshers.

Choosing the Right Certified Scale

Match capacity to 80% of the typical maximum load. This gives room while maintaining accuracy.

Environmental Protection

Different environments need different protections:

1. Stainless steel for corrosive atmospheres where chemicals attack standard steel.

2. Wide temperature ratings for heat or cold, where standard electronics fail.

3. IP ratings for water protection if washing down equipment.

4. Heavy-duty construction for physical abuse from forklifts and impacts.

These ensure your scale survives beyond explosion protection.

System Integration

Verify the certified scale supports the needed connectivity. Ethernet. Wireless. Standard protocols. Approved connections.

Industrial weighing compliance includes proper installation. Improper connections void certifications.

Conclusion

Industrial weighing solutions in hazardous environments demand certification. It’s not optional. Certifications exist because accidents kill thousands yearly from uncertified electrical equipment. If you’re looking for better quality scales, visit Scale Depot.

Invest in certified industrial weighing systems now. Or risk explosions, deaths, fines, and prosecution later. Certified equipment costs less than a catastrophe.

Assess your situation. Identify non-compliant equipment. Replace immediately. Your workers' lives and business depend on it.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What certifications do scales need for hazardous areas?

In North America, it requires FM or UL, in Europe, ATEX and IECEx in the whole world. The demands are based on hazard category and division.

2. Which industries require certified hazloc scales?

Certified scales are needed in the oil and gas, chemical processing, pharmaceuticals, food manufacturing, and mining industries involving combustible dust.

3. Explosion-proof vs. intrinsically safe scales?

Intrinsically safe scales prevent ignition by limiting energy. Explosion-proof scales contain blasts inside heavy enclosures.

4. Can uncertified scales work in hazardous areas?

No. The employment of uncertified equipment breaches the OSHA regulations and subjects you to fines of up to  $16550 per violation, as well as criminal prosecution.

5. What if scales lack safety compliance?

You have OSHA fines, criminal charges in case of deaths, canceled insurance, closure of facilities and liability lawsuits of injured employees.