At Hazardex Live 2026, Ethan Hodge, Applications Specialist at Newson Gale, will explain how static electricity can generate and accumulate during many industrial processes.

This presentation will outline how this can pose a significant risk to both people and plant with the help of some case studies and incidents from various industries.

The relevant Legislation, Standards and Guidelines will be highlighted as well as the industrial process applications that pose the highest risk of a fire or explosion when static electricity is not controlled. Solutions for mitigating against this risk will be explained together with the various levels of protection available.

The application specific considerations for manual and automated processes will also be highlighted to allow for the correct selection according to the site’s needs. The key features of effective and reliable static grounding systems will be detailed so that solution specifiers can make a well-informed decision.

About the speaker:

Ethan Hodge is one of the applications specialists for Newson Gale’s market leading range of electrostatic earthing and bonding equipment in the UK. With his primary focus being on customer processes in hazardous locations, Ethan regularly attends site to fully understand the customer's application(s) and the risks presented by the accumulation of static electricity during normal operation. From there, he can offer advice relating to their electrostatic control solutions based on the internationally recognised best practice guidelines outlined in ‘IEC TS 60079-32-1:2013+AMD1:2017 Explosive atmospheres - Part 32-1: Electrostatic hazards - guidance'.