ACCORDING to the South African National Standards (SANS) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), a hazardous area is where there is a risk of explosion, be it due to the presence of flammable dusts or explosive gases and vapours.
Eldon Kruger Marketing Director of Pratley believes that to ensure the health and safety of employees working in such hazardous areas, it is critical that all electrical equipment used does not pose a risk of ignition in the event of any failure.
To this end, Kruger, a recognised authority on the subject and current President of the South African Flameproof Association (SAFA), presents a ‘Hazardous Locations’ seminar. These seminars are usually aimed at senior management and engineers wanting to refresh their knowledge about the subject.
The seminars are also available as live online webinars. This knowledge has resulted in the development of Pratley’s own Ex range of cable glands and junction boxes, which comply fully with IEC and ATEX and South African Ex specifications.
In addition to Kruger’s own specialised seminars, Pratley offers cable gland training at the Pratley Training Centre. Established in 2004, the recently refurbished centre consists of a modern, fully equipped conference room and practical workshop area of over 300 m². Here learners, electrical artisans and engineers are educated on the importance of correct cable termination and electrical product selection.
The courses equip artisans with the skills needed to gain the maximum benefit from Pratley’s electrical products. The most popular course is a basic theoretical and practical cable glanding workshop focusing on the fitting of cable glands in non-hazardous and hazardous locations.