Hazardous Locations – Unit Verification

Unit Verification is the process of approving a single unit or a batch of units. Already have an outstanding product? Let us help you turn it into a safer product!

LabTest Certification provides Field Approvals for Hazardous Locations equipment, assemblies, and installations.

Certificates and test reports are issued to applicable IEC, CSA, UL, EN standards and more, depending on the end installation site location and requirements of the Authority Having Jurisdictions (AHJ). A LabTest inspector affixes the product with the LC Field Evaluated Label. The label confirms that the product complies with the requirements of the applicable standards

LC Field Evaluated Label

Field Evaluations anywhere!

Based on the project requirements, our network of field inspectors and partners can provide Unit Verification services across North America and overseas. This allows us to use the closest resources to your location and to provide you with the most cost-effective solutions.

Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ)

Field Evaluations can be a quick solution for products that have been red tagged by Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) because found not compliant with the requirements of applicable standards.

HazLoc is the short term for Hazardous Locations and it refers to potentially explosive (Ex) environments, where flammable gasses, liquids, vapors, or combustible dusts may be present. Examples of HazLoc environments are Oil & Gas, Mining, Refineries, Paint Shops, Flour Mills, Gas Stations, and more.

Any Electrical and non-electrical equipment that is evaluated for Hazardous Locations.

Unit Verification is the process of approval of single unit or a batch of units. Just like with certification/listing, Unit Verification requires for the product to be tested and evaluated to the full applicable standard(s).  The only difference is in the labelling process. In Unit Verification, it is the Certification Body who affixes the labels on the product, once the product meets all the construction evaluation and testing requirement as per applicable standards. Then, for any subsequent batches, if the design is identical to the originally evaluated batch, the same test data and evaluation can be used and the new batch does not need to be repeated. However, factory tests (if required by the applicable standard, for example Dielectric / Hi-pot test) must be performed on the subsequent unit or batches as well. Unit verification can be conducted in the field or samples can be shipped to the lab.  

The main difference between Unit Verification and Certification is that with unit verification, the Certification/Inspection Body representative must affix the labels on the equipment, whereas with certification, manufacturers are authorized to apply the labels themselves. Some of the benefits of Unit Verification…

The benefits of Unit Verification are:

  • manufacturers don’t have to maintain a production line or quality resources;
  • it allows for approval of one or a batch of units;
  • it’s faster and more practical than certification;
  • manufacturers don’t have to absorb the cost of recurring listing fees as overhead.

Certification, or Listing, is the process of allowing manufacturers to affix the labels on the product themselves, once the product is certified. After the certification is completed, and to maintain the certification, the Certification Body must conduct factory assessments at the manufacturing facility to validate that the products being labelled are the same products that were originally certified. Depending on the product category, the frequency for factory inspections is usually once every quarter, for North American approvals, and every 12-18 months in the case of IECEx/ATEX . Products can be tested either onsite or at the third party lab. Once the product meets the minimum construction evaluation and testing requirements, as per the standard, as well as the manufacturer’s quality system has passed Initial Factory Inspection (North America) and QAR/QAN (IECEx/ATEX) then the certificate is issued to authorize the manufacturer to be able to label the products before shipping themselves. The manufacturer performs any factory tests if applicable as per standard requirements. The benefit of this model is for mass manufacturing and to reduce lead time to be able to ship the units.

IECEx Scheme

LabTest Certification is recognized by the IECEx Scheme as an accredited ExCB (Certification Body) and ExTL (Testing Laboratory). As one of six recognized ExCB’s in North America, our Scope of Accreditations include Unit Verification to the 60079 series of standards for Hazardous Locations equipment. Our accreditationsinclude electrical and non-electrical products and method of protection specific standards. 

Oil & Gas

  • Gas Stations 
  • Oil Rigs 
  • Oil Refineries 
  • Gas Pipelines 
  • Natural Gas Facilities 
  • Aircraft Refueling Hangers 

Underground

  • Coal Mines Below Ground 
  •  Sewage Treatment Plants  
  • Underground Tunnels  

Grain Handling

  • Grain Storage Elevators  
  • Grain Handling Facilities with grinders, pulverizers, cleaners, graders, scalpers, open conveyors or spouts, open bins or hoppers, mixers or blenders, automatic or hopper scales, packing machinery, stock distributors, dust and stock collectors  

Manufacturing Plants

  • Chemical Processing Plants
  • Coating Industries
  • Woodworking Areas and Plants
  • Facilities with metallic dusts of magnesium, aluminum, bronze etc.
  • Combustible fibre manufacturing and processing plants;   

Food Processing

  • Starch plants 
  • Malting plants 
  • Hay grinding plants  
  • Cocoa pulverizing facilities  
  • Dried egg and milk powders 
  • Spice pulverizing plants 
  • Potato and flour plants
  • Flax processing plants; 
  • Sugar Refineries and Pulverizing Plants

Fiber & Flyings

  • Sisal/henequen, istle, jute, hemp, tow, cocoa fibre, oakum, baled waste kapok, Spanish moss, excelsior, etc. 
  • Rayon, cotton, and other textile mills; .

Indoor Rooms

  • Paint booths
  • Plant Oil Extraction Sites (Cannabis) 
  • Hospital Operating Theatres 
  • Printing

Renewable Energy

  • Renewable Energy Installations (Fuel Cells) 
  • Renewable energy sources / fuels (Hydrogen, Ammonia  etc.)  

What is Area Classification? 

The area classification is the study or the determination of hazardous areas in facilities where explosive atmospheres can occur.  Want to learn more about Area Classification and Hazardous Location Ratings?

Some determining factors for identifying applicable standards are:

Testimonials

Viterra Originally approached LabTest to assist in certifying OEM delivered integrate components for use in a Hazardous Location environment. Their work was instrumental in being able to certify the components for the applicable environment. Subsequently LabTest has certified for us key ATEX procured equipment to meet CSA standards for hazardous locations. As this equipment was not available for other sources this was critical in the success of our project.

Peter A. Idema P.Eng, Viterra Inc.

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