Equipment Protection Level
EPL (Equipment Protection Level) according to IEC/EN 60079-xx series of standards
Definition:The level of protection assigned to equipment based on its risk of becoming a source of ignition, and distinguishing the differences between explosive gas atmospheres, explosive dust atmospheres, and the explosive atmospheres which may exist in coal mines.
Link between Zones, Atex categories and EPL:
Area towards Equipment| Area Classification | Equipment category/level | ||||
| Explosive Consentratio | Zone | Risk | Equipment Group | Atex Category | IEC - EPL |
| Often/longer periods | 0 | High, safe with 2 faults | II | 1G | Ga |
| Occasionally | 1 | High, safe with 1 fault | II | 2G (1G) | Gb (Ga) |
| Rarely/most likely never | 2 | Normal | II | 3G (1G/2G) | Gc (Ga/Gb) |
| Often/longer periods | 20 | High, safe with 2 faults | II* | 1D | Da |
| Occasionally | 21 | High, safe with 1 fault | II* | 2D (1D) | Db (Da) |
| Rarely/most likely never | 22 | Normal | II* | 3D (1D/2D) | Dc (Da/Db) |
| - | High, safe with 2 faults | I | M1 | Ma | |
| - | High, safe with 1 fault | I | M2 | Mb | |
| * According to IEC 60079-0, 2007, equipment group for dust is to be group III | |||||