As you may already know, standards AS/NZS 60079.10.1 and AS/NZS 60079.14 were updated in July
2022.
The changes to 60079.14 are relatively minor compared to the previous edition (2017), and have
addressed a few areas of confusion that existed in the previous edition. The biggest change is the
removal of Annex ZZ, with variations from the IEC version of the standard now included in the body
of the document once again (cue cheering!). The variations are incorporated in a few different ways,
and can be slightly clunky still, but it’s a huge improvement on the universally reviled Annex ZZ
approach.
The area classification standard, AS/NZS 60079.10.1 has had some significant changes. The
fundamental principles haven’t changed, but there have been substantial changes in the areas of
ventilation and the associated terminology and calculation methods. The basic standard has been
adopted essentially unchanged from the IEC edition, and the Australian commentary and example
classifications have been published in a separate volume, AS/NZS 60079.1 Supplement 1. The
examples have been modified in some mostly sensible ways and now better align with some of the
international standards commonly used by classifiers, which is nice to see. There are some other
changes that are more difficult to understand.
Extend Training has updated all relevant course materials and assessments to reflect the new state
of play. Our online refresher course covers the latest changes AS/NZS 60079.14, and is available for
enrolment. Additionally, our Hazardous Areas Classification course has also been updated to the
new edition of AS/NZS 60079.10.1.
If you’re keen to update your HA knowledge to the latest and greatest (and let’s face it, why
wouldn’t you be?), head on over to the Extend Training website and get in touch – we look forward
to hearing from you!