Equipment Protection Level (EPL) is a system to clearly indicate the inherent ignition risk of equipment, no matter what type of protection is used.
| EPL | Application | Description | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ga | Gas | equipment for explosive gas atmospheres, having a “very high” level of protection, which is not a source of ignition in normal operation, during expected malfunctions or during rare malfunctions | 0, 1, 2 |
| Gb | Gas | equipment for explosive gas atmospheres, having a “high” level of protection, which is not a source of ignition in normal operation or during expected malfunctions, | 1, 2 |
| Gc | Gas | equipment for explosive gas atmospheres, having a “enhanced” level of protection, which is not a source of ignition in normal operation and which may have some additional protection to ensure that it remains inactive as an ignition source in the case of regular expected occurrences (for example failure of a lamp) | 2 |
| Da | Dust | equipment for explosive dust atmospheres, having a “very high” level of protection, which is not a source of ignition in normal operation, during expected malfunctions, or during rare malfunctions | 20, 21, 22 |
| Db | Dust | equipment for explosive dust atmospheres, having a “high” level of protection, which is not a source of ignition in normal operation or during expected malfunctions | 21, 22 |
| Dc | Dust | equipment for explosive dust atmospheres, having a “enhanced” level of protection, which is not a source of ignition in normal operation and which may have some additional protection to ensure that it remains inactive as an ignition source in the case of regular expected occurrences (for example failure of a lamp) | 22 |
Source: IEC 60079
EPL marking on equipment is now common as indicated in this IECEx Certificate of Conformity IECEx SIR 09.0124X. This equipment is marked “Ex ia IIC Ga“.