Alex Brady, Explosion Protection Specialist, & Martha Carillo, Certification & Consultancy Manager, from Expo Technologies will be presenting at Hazardex Live 2025 about a collaborative approach to challenging Ex protection projects, using customer & project case studies to discuss the stages most critical to the success of the certification process

Hazardous areas, where concentrations of flammable gases, vapours, or dusts can be present, provide some of the greatest safety challenges across facility design, construction, and installation. When equipment is to be installed in a hazardous location, it will need re-design or, at the very least, adaptation, before one of the many approved protection methods can be applied. This process can be costly and time consuming.

However, even the best conceived equipment or system will not be permitted to operate until it has been certified in line with local standards, and that crucial step can sometimes prove more difficult than anticipated, especially if overlooked or de-emphasised at earlier stages of the project. Through recent customer & project case studies, this paper will discuss the stages most critical to the success of the certification process, and the actions required to deliver a successful certification, avoiding project delays and excessive cost.

About the authors:

Alex Brady is a specialist in explosion protection for instrumentation and electrical applications. His primary focus is developing best-fit 'Ex' solutions by working collaboratively with customers helping them understand the specifics of their application, legal requirements as outlined in the standards and current industry best practice. With over fifteen years in 'Ex' industries Alex has worked with a huge breadth of customers from specialist chemical manufacturers to bespoke Ex panel builders.

Martha Carrillo is Certification & Consultancy Manager at Expo Technologies. Her department is responsible for the hazardous area certification of customers’ equipment as well as managing the certification of our own product portfolio.