May a Safety Storage Cabinet Be Installed in a Hazardous Area (Zone 0, 1 or 2)?

No – the cabinet body built to EN 14470-1 is not equipment within the meaning of the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU, provided it has no ignition source of its own. Certification is required only for the electrical equipment operated on the cabinet, such as fans, monitoring units and lighting. This equipment must match the equipment category required for the relevant zone.

In Zone 2, the fan must meet equipment category 3G under ATEX 2014/34/EU. In Zone 1, category 2G is required. DÜPERTHAL AUV units and UFV units are ATEX-compliant certified in every version and suitable for use in Zone 2 environments.

The Explosion Protection Document, required under the ATEX Workplace Directive 1999/92/EC, must include the zone classification, the equipment installed together with its equipment category, the protective measures implemented, and the outcome of the risk assessment. When a safety storage cabinet is installed in a hazardous area, the ventilation components used and their ATEX certification must be explicitly documented.

No – ventilating the cabinet only prevents the cabinet itself from creating an additional hazardous area in its surroundings. An existing hazardous area in the workspace – defined by other sources – is not eliminated by ventilating the cabinet. The zone classification set out in the Explosion Protection Document remains decisive.

This is not recommended in practice and requires a particularly careful risk assessment. Without ventilation, there is a risk that a dangerous vapour concentration builds up inside the cabinet and in the immediate vicinity when it is opened. In addition, earthing of the cabinet is mandatory. The clearly safer and compliant solution is to combine the cabinet with ATEX-compliant technical ventilation.

Yes. All electrical components operated in a hazardous area – including radio units for DÜPERTHAL connect – must comply with the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU and meet the equipment category required for the relevant zone. DÜPERTHAL UFV and AUV units with radio unit (variants 2.00.398 and 2.00.322) are ATEX-compliant.

Zone classification for gases and vapours from flammable liquids is based on the international standard EN 60079-10-1 (classification of areas – explosive gas atmospheres) and, within the EU, on the requirements of the ATEX Workplace Directive 1999/92/EC. Classification is the responsibility of the employer and must be recorded in the Explosion Protection Document.

Safety storage cabinets without technical ventilation require an earthing connection as a protective measure against ignition caused by electrostatic discharge. In hazardous areas, earthing is of particular importance, since electrostatic discharges can act as an ignition source. DÜPERTHAL safety storage cabinets are fitted with an earthing connection as standard.