July 15, 2015
In May, we discussed the evolution of hazardous location standards and what that means. As requests increase for well site equipment to be approved for use in hazardous locations, it is important to know if the equipment you are using has in fact been certified. Some manufacturers will claim their equipment has been certified but cannot provide proof of certification. Any company that states their equipment is certified will have proof that it has been tested and approved by a certification agency.
Certification agencies take the guesswork out of whether equipment has been approved for use in hazardous locations. Their purpose is to offer peace of mind to retailers, regulators, consumers and end users by indicating that a product has been independently tested and has met the required standards for safety and performance. These agencies conduct stringent reviews on both the design and manufacturing of the equipment. In addition, these agencies also periodically audit manufacturers to ensure they continue to meet the required standards. Once a product has been approved, the agency allows the manufacturer to use its logo on the product and issues the manufacturer a Certificate of Compliance.
In North America there are two certification agencies that will test and certify that equipment meets hazardous locations standards. They are CSA International and Intertek. These agencies maintain a publically accessible database of equipment that has been tested and approved for hazardous locations.
For ETC products, you can also find the certifications available on our website. To ensure safety and performance of your equipment, be sure to check that the products you are using are hazardous location certified. For more information, check out our blog on the evolution of hazardous locations standards.
Extreme Telematics Corp.
5925 12th Street SE, Bay 14
Calgary, Alberta T2H 2M3