Hazardous Locations

CERL has one of the largest and best-equipped indoor facilities for hazardous locations explosion testing in North America. We provide testing and assessment services to clients in two main areas: certification services for underground coal mining equipment and testing services on a contract basis to a broad range of industrial clients and to other testing and certification organizations. CERL has also expanded its altitude testing capability and is now able to provide explosive atmosphere testing on avionic systems.

Underground Coal Mining Certification Services

These services are provided as a national service to regulatory authorities that require expert assessment of products. Certification by CERL means the product has undergone an investigation, including testing and analysis, in accordance with published standards. The manufacturer is granted the right to apply a registered trademark on the certified product. CERL issues the manufacturer a certificate that specifies the product assessed, the standard used to assess the product, and a schedule of technical details for the product. This schedule of technical details then becomes the standard for producing this product. These certificates are recognized by coal mine regulatory authorities across Canada.

CERL is also recognized by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to perform tests in accordance with its requirements for explosion-protected underground coal mining equipment.

Hazardous Locations Conformity Assessment Services

CERL is accredited by the Standards Council of Canada under ISO Guide 17025 to provide hazardous locations testing services. Our indoor explosion test room can accommodate samples weighing up to several tonnes. The CERL altitude test chambers allow explosive atmosphere tests to be carried out at specified test altitudes, as well as rapid decompression tests. Explosion testing is carried out to many national and international standards including:

• CSA C22.2 No. 30;
• UL1203;
• CENELEC 50018;
• IEC 60079-1;
• Factory Mutual Class 3615;
• MSHA - Federal Register 30CFR18;
• Australian Standard AS 2480;
• U.S. Coast Guard requirements for detonation flame arresters per Federal Register, 33CFR154, Appendix A;
• MIL-STD-810F (available from commercial vendors such as Global Engineering Documents);
• RTCA DO-160B/Eurocae ED-14B, Section 9 Explosion Test;
• Australian Standard AS2480.1;
  and others.

These services are provided to:

• manufacturers seeking product approval from the appropriate agency or authority;
• manufacturers requiring product explosion testing services during product development;
• approval agencies who may not have an in-house test facility.

CERL's test reports are accepted in support of product approvals by certification agencies in Canada, the United States, the European Community and Australia. In some cases, certification agencies of other countries require that tests conducted at our facility be witnessed by representatives of those agencies. We are exploring new direct linkages to meet this requirement.

Contact

George Lobay
Canadian Explosives Research Laboratory
Minerals and Metals Sector
Natural Resources Canada
555 Booth Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G1

Tel.: 613-996-1902
Fax: 613-996-2597
E-mail: george.lobay@nrcan.gc.ca

Last Updated: 2006-06-23

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