VIDEO: You Bet Your Light On It: Safety Ratings Explained

We've all picked up some bad habits and do some dumb stuff, texting while walking, plugging too many things into an outlet, eating gas station sushi and, with fate following our every move, all it takes is one little mistake. The truth is we get away with a lot but sometimes these bad habits die hard. It's no different with your work light and just because something is labeled intrinsically safe doesn't mean it's right for your specific working environment.

The term intrinsically safe only refers to a protection method not a safety rating or designation, so despite what you've heard, the term doesn't tell you the whole story. Intrinsically safe by itself doesn't necessarily mean it's the right light  for your application. Look beyond the intrinsically safe marking and check that it's division one or division two rated,  matches the groupings, and it's appropriate for your working environment so you've gotta ask yourself a few  questions: 1) Do I feel lucky? 2) What type of job am I working on? and (3) What conditions will I be working in?

Anytime you walk onto a job, the last two questions can help you grab the right light which is why a handy dandy classification system exists. This class system helps designate what materials could cause an explosion within a specific environment. Class I represents flammable gases, vapors and liquids in places like petroleum refineries, gas plants and dry cleaning plants. Class II is for combustible dust—think grain elevators, coal prep plants and producers of plastics, medicines, fireworks, spices, sugar and more. Class III is for tiny little ignitable fibers and flyings. This is mainly for textile mills and plants that see sawdust as a by-product.

Along with Class designations there are Division ratings, either Division I or Division II. Division I is for when a mixture of flammable gases, dusts or vapors occurs normally or is always present. Division II is for when this nasty mixture is potentially present. There's a slightly different zonal approach in Europe but the fact remains if you're working in a dusty coal prep plant or a potentially hazardous gas utility plant or even a textile mill, make sure you're  using the right safety rated light for the job and not just some random, intrinsically safe light.

So, to recap, working in a Division I environment? Don't use a Division II light. Find yourself in a grain elevator? That's Class II buddy. Doing stuff with pressurized liquids that could do this? Go ahead and grab that Class I, Division I light. Whatever you do, don't tempt fate. Step away from that sushi and use the right light. It's a matter of light and death.