EEMUA believes that the IEC 60079-14:2013 method of determining whether a barrier gland is needed for an Ex ‘d’ enclosure is deficient and potentially dangerous.

Research commissioned by EEMUA to establish whether the approach adopted in IEC 60079-14:2013 is adequate to achieve at least the level of safety offered by adherence to the former version of the standard has conclusively shown the superiority of the 2008 version.

IEC 60079-14:2013 therefore lacks the authority required of a standard as the new assessment procedure is not sustainable in the face of the evidence.

EEMUA’s position is that IEC 60079-14 should be immediately amended with the reinstatement of the assessment procedure used in IEC 60070-14:2008. 

Further details are available through the Current Issues page of the EEMUA website, including EEMUA’s Position statement.