Over 10 explosion-proof forklifts are used to handle raw materials at the Huntsman factory in South China.

Global chemicals manufacturer Huntsman has upgraded a fleet of explosion-proof forklifts at its Guangzhou facility in China to meet domestic safety standards.

Huntsman selected UK-headquartered Pyroban as its explosion-proof equipment conversion partner and to help prevent its equipment from becoming a source of ignition as its facility stores flammable chemicals.

Over 10 explosion-proof forklifts are used to handle raw materials at the Huntsman factory in South China. Pyroban's team of technicians completed the conversion in four days.

Pyroban's Mr Li, who oversaw the work, says the project's aim was to conduct an overall system upgrade on the European-converted explosion-proof forklifts to meet the Chinese national standard.

"All the requirements of explosion protection safety management and safety supervision were considered, including, for example, the design and installation of Exd batteries and Exd lights, rewiring of Exd enclosures and changing the start-up battery on the diesel trucks," Li says.
(Exd is the abbreviation for flameproof protection.)

Pyroban will conduct annual safety audits to test all the explosion protection functions of the trucks, which will extend the service lifetime of the forklifts.

Huntsman engineer Mr Luo says safety is a priority for chemical manufacturers. "Our safety management is a combination of hardware and system improvement, as well as [the] development of safety awareness."

The manufacturer originally imported its explosion-proof materials handling equipment from Europe, which complied with the ATEX 94/9/EC European Directive.

Existing international standards for explosion-proof equipment include the International IEC standard, the European EN1755: 2000 standard and the UL NEC500/505 American standard, but there is only one accepted standard for explosion-proof equipment in the Chinese market.

All explosion-proof forklifts used in China have to comply with national regulations, so imported explosion-proof equipment has to undergo a system upgrade.

China's national standard for explosion protection, GB19854-2005 "General Principles for Explosion Proof Industrial Trucks in Explosive Atmospheres", was issued in 2005, and officially implemented in 2006.

Pyroban recently opened a technical service centre in Guangzhou to service its customers in Guangdong and Southern China. The facility, supported by the Pyroban factory in Suzhou, offers a range of services including hazardous area consulting and training, explosion-proof equipment conversion and truck rental.