Facilities that handle flammable vapours, dusts, or fibers must meet strict hazardous location compliance requirements under Ontario and Canadian electrical codes. At HITE Engineering, we specialize in hazardous area classification, electrical design reviews, and documentation to ensure your workplace is safe, legally compliant, and operating without risk of fire or explosion.
From manufacturing and processing plants to plating rooms and fuel-handling areas, our team supports facility owners, employers, and consultants in identifying and managing hazardous environments in line with Section 18 of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, NFPA 70, and CSA/IEC standards.
A hazardous location is any area where flammable substances vapours, gases, dusts, or fibres may be present in sufficient quantities to create a fire or explosion risk. The classification depends on the type of material and how often it is present:
Examples of Hazardous Locations:
HITE has experience providing engineering support across these and other high-risk sectors.
A hazardous location classification review may be appropriate when a facility introduces new equipment or processes, modifies an existing operation, or needs to confirm whether an area is properly classified.
Common situations include:
Facilities that store or use solvents and similar materials may also need to consider flammable liquid safety in Ontario alongside hazardous location requirements.
We help clients assess and document hazardous areas through detailed evaluation and certified engineering reports.
Services Include:
We also provide support for Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) Deviation Requests where non-hazardous-rated equipment is used with gas detection fallback controls.
HITE Engineering delivers consultation and documentation using all relevant codes and cross-border standards where most applicable, including:
Many of our clients bring in foreign equipment (e.g., from Europe or the U.S.) that requires evaluation and documentation to meet local Ontario or CSA standards. We provide the engineering analysis and documentation needed for proper certification.
We’re often called in to resolve issues such as:
Real-world examples from recent projects include:
Processes that generate combustible dust may require review of both the process area and associated dust collection systems.
A Risk of Ignition or Explosion PSR/PHSR may apply where materials, vapours, dusts, equipment, or processes create conditions that require engineering review under Ontario’s PSR framework.
Facilities that store, transfer, dispense, or use flammable liquids may also need to consider Flammable Liquid Storage PSR/PHSR requirements, depending on the installation and process.
Where a broader process review is needed, HITE provides HAZOP and Risk Analysis to identify potential process deviations, consequences, safeguards, and areas requiring further engineering review.
A hazardous location classification review is specific to the materials, processes, equipment, and operating conditions within the facility.
Depending on the project, we may review:
The goal is to understand where hazardous conditions may occur, how classified areas may extend, and what engineering or documentation may be required.
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The deliverables depend on the process, materials, facility conditions, available documentation, and scope of the classification review.
A hazardous location project may include:
Hazardous location classification identifies areas where flammable gases, vapours, combustible dusts, or ignitable fibers may create conditions with a potential fire or explosion risk.
The classification helps define where specific electrical, equipment, ventilation, or other safety considerations may apply.
Combustible dust may create a hazardous location concern where dust is generated, released, dispersed, or accumulated under conditions that could create a fire or explosion hazard.
The material, process, concentration, ventilation, dust collection equipment, and potential ignition sources should be considered when assessing the area.
No. Hazardous location classification identifies and documents areas where hazardous atmospheres or materials may be present. A PSR/PHSR is an engineering review required under specific circumstances in Ontario Regulation 851.
The two can overlap where a process involves combustible dust, flammable materials, or another risk of ignition or explosion.
Yes. HITE already provides AutoCAD-based hazard mapping and classification drawings showing the extent of hazardous zones as part of applicable projects.
Useful information may include:
The specific information required depends on the facility and scope of the review.
Yes. A review may be appropriate when processes, materials, ventilation, equipment, or facility layouts have changed, or when existing hazardous location documentation is missing or outdated.
HITE can assess current conditions and determine what classification or engineering documentation may be required.
Yes. Changes to ventilation, material handling, equipment, release points, or process conditions can affect the location or extent of a classified area.
An engineering review can help determine whether an existing classification should be updated to reflect the new operating conditions.
