Material handling equipment companies need to prepare for forthcoming changes to regulations of tires and wheels on explosion-protected vehicles now, warns Pyroban.
Users of affected forklifts, pallet trucks and reach trucks will have to adjust in order to comply with amendments to EN1755:2015 standard that come into force in November 2017.
“EN1755, the EU standard that explosion protected materials handling equipment is designed or converted to, is mandatory from November this year,” explained Dave Waring, product manager for Pyroban. “One of the more significant changes is to the requirements for tyres and wheels, so both end users and the dealer network need to prepare for this now.”
Under the revized standard, tires and wheels on forklift and warehouse trucks must be anti-static in all potentially explosive atmospheres where trucks are travelling at 6km/h. This applies in areas classified as Zone 1, 2, 21 or 22, where previously, anti-static tires were only required for operation in Zone 1 and 21 areas.
There are, however, some exceptions, including where the projected contact area of the wheels with the floor is below the limit value specified within the new standard.
Waring added, “At a time when companies are offering shorter build and conversion times for equipment going into Zone 2 applications, it is important to be aware that specifying non-standard tyres and wheels will increase lead times. Downtime could be a significant issue if explosion-proof parts supply is not considered early enough by users or dealers.”
April 28, 2017
