Safety in the processing industry

There are many applications for photography in the processing industry. For example, breaches of safety regulations must be documented; original installation structures must be recorded before and/or after a processing operation is carried out. Up 'til now, complicated safety precautions were necessary before photography in explosion-protected areas could take place. However, with the intrinsically safe digital camera from ecom instruments, it has become a routine task.

A leaking pipe, the sharp edge of a metal housing or a just provisionally mended ladder are examples of safety risks in production which an operations manager would want to record as quickly as possible simply by taking a photograph. One would expect that this poses no problems in the age of digital photography, unless, however, the safety breach occurs in a hazardous area where there is the danger of explosions. Then, in order to take a photograph, either the production must be interrupted for this occasion or the photographer must be given a certification which states that an explosive atmosphere is not present at the site in question. Both the above possibilities cost time and involve a high expenditure. An intrinsically-safe camera for ex-zones is the answer here.

The intrinsically-safe camera Ex-Cam 01 conforms with the requirements of the latest European ATEX directive. It is permitted for use in gas and dust explosion hazard areas: zones 1 and 21. Its robust aluminium housing (protection class IP 64) is a protection against water splashes and it is suitable for use in heavy-duty environmental conditions typical for the chemical and petrochemical industries. The camera weighs about 400 g and its dimensions are 110 x 90 x 32 cm - a handy, flat shape.

Martin Eckl, the product manager at ecom instruments says, "The need for image documentation in ex-zones of the processing industry is by no means restricted just to the field of working safety. Depending on the individual production process involved, particularly in explosion-protected zones, there are a large number of safety precautions which are obligatory and whose correct assembly must be evidenced and documented by photography. Also, the photographic documentation of a newly assembled plant immediately after operation has begun is a valuable addition to a firm's own written documentation.

"One should remember that the documentation of production processes plays an important part in quality assurance in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries," according to Eckl. The directives of Good Manufacturing Practice or certification requirements according to DIN ISO 9000 require exactly reproducible production processes.

The production steps can be documented by suitable photographs. Short video sequences with an audio commentary are also possible with this digital camera. Anomalies in the production process such as an irregular colouring of a product can be recorded in pictures and contribute to safeguarding optimum quality.

In order to meet all these requirements, a camera is needed which can be used everywhere. The Ex-Cam 01 is equipped with a digital 4x zoom. The camera is designed for both images of plant details as well as for overview shots. The chip resolution of 3.2 million pixels corresponds with current standards, and the fixed-in SD memory card with 128 MB allows up to 70 pictures with the highest resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels. (Depending on which resolution is set, even 800 pictures are possible.) Searching for pictures is easy. Using the 2-inch TFT colour display of the camera, among other things, the resolution setting and the number of possible remaining pictures are shown. Via the integrated date and time reading on the display, the photographer can record the exact time when a picture is taken - an important function for many documentations.