IEC Time Line

The time-line of Hazardous Area Protection Domain

Safety Lamp by Sir Humphrey Davey, coal mines and the time-line of Hazardous Area Protection Techniques

Coal is a source of energy. The extraction of coal from the ground through underground tunnels is The Coal Mining. Underground coal mines are always under the danger of explosion and destruction due to the presence of Flammable Gas, Methane, in mixture with the surrounding air and the possibility of ignition and detonation, due to sparks generated by the mining equipment being used by the miners.

The need for a concept of providing protection techniques for apparatus that could cause an explosion in coal mines probably dates back to the invention of Safety lamp by Humphrey Davey in the 19^th century.

Later, when electricity was discovered and distribution of electrical energy, first for the purpose of illumination and later for the operation of the mining machines, was made possible, this concept was expanded to cover the large number of mining-related electrical apparatus.

This saw the development of the Explosion-proof or the Flame-proof Electrical Apparatus. This technique is still perhaps the most widely used technique today.

Other techniques have been developed and elaborated. The overall processes have germinated a safety-based philosophy and in turn a new field of Science & Engineering.

The time-line of IEC is presented in the following graphic form :

1815 :Invention of Safety lamp for coal mines by Humphrey Davy

1896: Formation of National Fire Protection Association in the US

1897 : Formation of National Electrical Code (NFPA-70) in US

1906 : Formation of International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

(The development of the IEC standard is achieved through a technical Committee (TC) , made up of the National Committees. TC may set up sub-committees (SC), reporting back to TC. TCs & SCs.operate with a secretariat. An independent chairman is nominated by the secretariat & approved by Standardization Management Board of IEC.

The IEC standards are produced on a consensus basis. Approval of a standard is achieved by voting of the IEC National Committee members as per relevant directives of IEC.

In its development a document will go through a variety of stages before it can be published. These may include one or more Working Group Drafts and committee drafts (CD), culminating in committee drafts for voting (CDV) and a final draft international standards (FDIS) for voting.

1948 : Formation of Technical Committee 31 (TC 31)

(Task: To prepare International Standards regarding electrical apparatus for use where there is a hazard due to the possible presence of ignitable gas, vapor, liquid or dust in the atmosphere.)

1957 : IEC document 79 is published (IEC 60079-0)

1962 : IEC document 79-2 is published (IEC 60079-2)

1963: IEC document 79-3 is published (IEC 60079-3)

1966: IEC document 79-4 is published (IEC 60079-4) withdrawn

1967: IEC document 79-5 is published (IEC 60079-5)

1969: Supplement to 79-5 was published

(This technique has now been superseded by another technique, called POWDER FILLING to cater for the use of material other than sand)

1968: IEC document 79-6 is published (IEC 60079-6)

1969 : IEC document 79-7 is published (IEC 60079-7)

1972: IEC document 79-10 is published (IEC 60079-10)

1976: IEC document 79-11 is published (IEC 60079-11)