Each year, companies spend roughly an average of millions of dollars on workplace injuries. Millions. For companies with stationary printers – and their tangled web of cords and cables – the risk of workplace injury is relatively great. In fact, falls are the second-leading cause of death in the workplace, behind automobile accidents.

That’s why wireless mobile printers can make such a big difference in increasing workplace safety. The absence of cords and cables contributes to an absence of workplace accidents.

In 2000, the median time lost from fall-related injuries was five full days, although more than 20% of workers missed more than a month on the job. If only one-tenth of those accidents resulted from tripping over a cord or being entangled in a cable, it would mean losing 237 days due to cord-related injuries. That’s almost eight months of work! That doesn’t even include the impact from related health care costs, workers compensation, fines, potential lawsuits, and settlements. When it’s all said and done, stationary printers can be much more costly than you bargained for.

Simply switching from stationary printers to the wireless mobile printers means that the workplace becomes a much safer place with less opportunity for workplace accidents – and the costly errors that go with it. It’s a simple, smart way to help keep your employees on their feet.

Contact DecisionPoint Systems, Inc. to learn more about Zebra’s wireless mobile printers and how they can help you improve workplace safety.

We introduced the topic of Intrinsic Safety yesterday in our August 3 post.  In that post, I promised to cover the Intrinsically Safe definitions and standards today. 

Non-incendive Devices, Circuits, and Components: incapable of generating thermal or electrical energy sufficient to ignite a volatile atmosphere under normal operating conditions-although sufficient energy for ignition could be generated under fault conditions.  A Non-Incendive device is designed for use in environments where the specified hazard may be present, but is not likely to exist under normal operating conditions.

Class I is part of the National Electric Code definitions of hazardous location classifications and protection techniques. The Class I classification is a segment of the basic designation which is listed by “class” and “division”.
 
Class I locations are areas where flammable gases may be present in sufficient quantities to produce explosive or flammable mixtures. Class II locations can be described as hazardous because of the presence of combustible dust. Class III locations contain easily ignitable fibers and flyings. Division 1 designates an environment where flammable gases, vapors, liquids, combustible dusts or ignitable fibers and flyings are likely to exist under normal operating conditions. On the other hand, Division 2 is an environment where flammable gases, vapors, liquids, combustible dusts or ignitable fibers and flyings are not likely to exist under normal operating conditions. Hazardous atmospheres are further defined by “groups.”

Intrinsically Safe (I-Safe) Devices, Circuits, and Components: are incapable of generating thermal or electrical energy sufficient to ignite a volatile atmosphere under either normal or abnormal operating conditions. Consequently, intrinsically safe systems have much wider application than their non-incendive counterparts. Non-incendive systems are generally less costly and easier to maintain than either explosion-proof or intrinsically safe systems.

Class 1, Division 2 Safe Device: Device which is safe to operate in locations (1) in which volatile flammable liquids or gases are handled, processed or used but which are normally confined in enclosed containers or systems, (2) in which ignitable concentrations of gases or vapors are normally prevented by ventilation, (3) which are adjacent to Class I Division I locations and not separated by a vapor tight barrier.  An intrinsically safe device is approved for use in the specified class and division and will not produce any spark or thermal effects that will ignite a specified gas mixture.

ATEX: Derived from the French “ATmosphere EXplosible” (explosive atmosphere). Refers to Atex Directive 04/9/EC, the European regulation governing equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

 Contact DecisionPoint Systems, Inc. to learn more about non-incendive and Intrinsically Safe (I-Safe) mobile devices and what you need to protect your employees. 

Standard electrical equipment often creates internal sparks which can ignite flammable substances present in hazardous environments where flammable materials are handled and any leak or spill has the potential to form a an explosive atmosphere.

In these areas, it’s essential that mobile devices are rated either non-incendive or  Intrinsically Safe (I-Safe).  But what do these terms mean and how do you know whether you need either of these rated mobile devices?

Intrinsic Safety is a protection technique for safe operation of electronic equipment in explosive atmospheres.  A device termed intrinsically safe is designed to not contain any components that generate sparks or a hot surface due to any type of electrical fault that could cause an ignition.

The National Electrical Code classifies hazardous locations by class and divisions.  In these environments, mobile devices must be used with a corresponding rating. In tomorrow’s post, we’ll cover the Intrinsically Safe definitions and standards.

 Contact DecisionPoint Systems, Inc. to learn more about non-incendive and Intrinsically Safe (I-Safe) mobile devices and what you need to protect your employees.