Hazardous area

Hazardous area classification is an engineering study that maps where an explosive atmosphere can form and how often. The result divides the plant into zones based on the likelihood that flammable gases, vapors, or combustible dust are present. That map defines what can be installed and operated in each zone, including the equipment people carry.

In industrial practice, hazardous areas are home to the operations that demand the closest attention: refinery process units, fuel terminals, chemical plants, paint booths, and grain storage. Any electrical equipment brought into these areas is subject to strict rules, and an ordinary cell phone, for example, stays outside.

For workplace safety, this creates a paradox: precisely where the risk is greatest, workers tend to be less connected. Without certified technology, a call for help from inside a hazardous area depends on a radio, fixed communication points, or someone nearby. Emergency response gets slower exactly where it most needs to be fast.

The answer is to use devices with Ex certification, designed to operate in these zones without becoming an ignition source. That is the approach PHYGITALL took with the Smartbadge with Ex certification, which connects workers inside and outside hazardous areas, as it does at Petrobras in Itaboraí, where more than 5,000 badges are in operation.