Importance of instruction manuals for use with hazardous area equipment

Explosion Safety of components, equipment, assemblies and safety devices are not only dependent on their construction but also on the way they are installed. Where huge amounts of resources are invested into the construction and certification of equipment, the instructions too often seem to come at the bottom of the list. This is a problem, since an installer can only do a job as good as it is described in the instructions. In Europe, under the ATEX Directive 94/9/EC, equipment is only allowed to be put to market if it is supplemented with three items: A valid manufacturer´s declaration of conformity with the CE Directives, a corresponding correct marking and an instruction manual. This joint paper of a trace heating manufacturer and a Notified Body will explain the importance of instruction manuals, the responsibility of manufacturers, installers and end-users and the requirements for instructions listed in the law and the standards. This will be done by using the example of trace heating systems of which the trace heating elements are mostly supplied as bulk and the connection accessories assembled to the trace heating elements on site. Lack of quality of manuals for these kinds of systems will directly have impact on the safety of these systems.