Abstract :
Since the early 1900s there has been an increasing awareness of the dangers of fire and explosion of potentially flammable liquids, gases and dusts caused by electrical arcs and sparks. Electrical engineers are fairly familiar with the problems and have sought to refine carefully considered methodologies over the last century to establish both safe and cost-effective systems and installations. But some of the thinking was not applied to the wider issues that are present when considering overall safety in such environments, and there have been cases where evident nonsense existed because there was no coherent system of control. Different disciplines of engineering had their own way of looking at the problem and by the 1960s it was obvious that something had to be done to rationalise the fragmented way of dealing with the risks involved. This overview seeks to generate further discussion to move the subject towards an overall strategy of safety. Practice over the last 30 years suggests that this is probably seeking Utopia, but at least the effort should be made.
