Pressurized Welding Habitats
IEC60079-13 Standard & Certification for Pressurized Welding Habitats
The Oil & Gas industry developed and established safety standards worldwide to ensure all work undertaken in the industry is safe.
As welding and fabrication work causes additional risk to Oil & Gas installations, in order to mitigate this risk the industry uses pressurized rooms called welding habitats to isolate a potential explosive area (Zone 1 or 2) from any required hot-work undertaken.
Pressurized (rooms) welding habitats are regulated by the international IEC60079-13 Equipment protection by pressurized room "p” standard.
Only welding habitat systems certified by a 3rd party certifying body can legally be operated in ATEX or IECEx Zone 1 explosive atmosphere.
In Europe, under the ATEX 2014/34/EU Directive, all equipment requires a proper manufacturer's EU Declaration of Conformity. For Zone 1 welding habitats this EU Declaration of Conformity must be based on a Notified Body issued EU–Type Examination Certificate for pressurized habitats (rooms) EN 60079-13.
Most countries outside of Europe (such as the UAE, Canada, Australia) require IECEx Certification for both Zone 1 & 2 areas. Welding habitats must have an IECEx Certificate of Conformity issued by a Certification Body in accordance with the IECEx 02 Certified Equipment Scheme and IEC60079-13 standard.
Warning - there are habitat companies on the market that are using ATEX or IECEx component certification (the fan, the control unit, gas detection, lights, etc.) to convince customers that the habitat is ATEX compliant, but these habitats lack the required system certification to IEC60079-13. Practically the same as trying to convince someone about the roadworthiness of a car, by providing the certification for the tyres, lights, engine, etc., instead of the certificate for the car.
Welding habitat certification is not about the individual component compliance – that’s a given – it is about what the habitat as a system does: completely separating potential explosive atmosphere from hot work using a controlled overpressure system combined with an automatic shutdown unit certified to IEC60079-13.
Be sure your hot-work habitat system is safe!
3rd Party Certified
Our market leading Zone 1 & 2 ATEX & IECEx pressurized habitat systems have been 3rd party certified to IEC60079-13 by Ex Veritas.
ExVeritas is both an ATEX Notified Body and an IECEx Certification Body, that provides internationally recognised safety and certification services including IECEx, ATEX, CE Marking and North American approval.
Only Pressurized Rooms that are 3rd party accredited to standard IEC60079-13 can legally be operated within Zone 1 areas.
Check the IECEx website to see if your current habitat supplier has proper certification - just click on the link above and enter the company name.
Competent Habitat Technicians & Engineers
PressureHab established a three-tiered training and competency assessment program. This ensures that our technicians and engineers are fully trained, have the required skills & competency to design, construct and operate our ATEX & IECEx 3rd party certified Zone 1 & 2 Safe-Stop and or Safe-Work pressurized welding habitat systems.
Customer Training & Competency Assessment
PressureHab now offers full staff training and competency assessment packages.
In response to widespread demand by our customers PressureHab offers training & competency assessment for customer employees.
Depending on customers’ requirements, PressureHab can fully train and competency assess personnel either at PressureHab’s training facilities in Aberdeen, or at any client’s facilities globally.
These packages cover survey, design, construction, operation and maintenance of PressureHab’s 3rd party certified ATEX & IECEx pressurized welding habitat systems.
