Intrinsic safety

Directive 2014/34/EU

European Union directive
Text with EEA relevance
Title	Equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres
Current legislation

Intrinsic safety (IS) is a protection technique for safe operation of electrical equipment in hazardous areas by limiting the energy, electrical and thermal, available for ignition. In signal and control circuits that can operate with low currents and voltages, the intrinsic safety approach simplifies circuits and reduces installation cost over other protection methods. Areas with dangerous concentrations of flammable gases or dust are found in applications such as petrochemical refineries and mines. As a discipline, it is an application of inherent safety in instrumentation. High-power circuits such as electric motors or lighting cannot use intrinsic safety methods for protection.

Intrinsic safety devices, can be sub-dividend in to:

• Intrinsically safe apparatus
• Associated apparatus