The scale of the anticipated effects The potential for an explosion, the scale of effects and the extent of the harm will depend on: • The substance, the amount involved and how quickly it can be consumed • The size of the potential explosive atmosphere and the magnitude of the direct and indirect forces created • The amount of heat radiated • How the incident could escalate and whether conditions exist or could develop to cause a further fire, explosion, or similar event Any places which are, or can be connected via openings, to places in which explosive atmospheres may occur Any places, which are, or can be connected via openings, to places in which explosive atmospheres may occur should be identified. For example, within an automatic powder coating installation, an explosive atmosphere may occur during the operation. Before a workplace is used for the first time, which contains places where explosive atmospheres may occur, the overall explosion safety must be verified and any appropriate conditions that are necessary for ensuring explosion protection, must be maintained. The verification should be carried out by a competent person who should have the experience and training to achieve this. The employer should classify places within the workplaces where an explosive atmosphere may occur into a hazardous or non-hazardous area. Places where an explosive atmosphere may occur in quantities that require special precautions to protect the health and safety of workers should be classified as hazardous. A place where an explosive atmosphere is not expected to occur in quantities that require such special precautions is deemed non-hazardous. An explosive atmosphere exists when a dangerous substance in the form of a gas, mist, dust, or vapour accumulates in the air, and there is the potential for it to catch fire or explode. If an explosive atmosphere catches fire, there may not always be an initial explosion, but the flames would spread quickly through it and there could be an explosion if this occurred in a confined area. Additional Information Information should be easily understood and help to achieve in the safety of the workplace and any equipment being used. All employees must be properly informed and have the training to control, or deal with the risks from the dangerous substances. All relevant and updated information to complete the assessment will include precautions and emergency actions, along with details of the substances, the safety data sheets location and the legislative requirements, which cover the hazardous properties of the substances and the significant findings of the risk assessment. E6.3 Summary In this section we have covered: Matters to be considered in a risk assessment of substances capable of forming a flammable or explosive atmosphere
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