An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

What does "electrical classification" mean?

Equipment and wiring for locations where fire and explosion hazards may exist must meet requirements based on the hazards. Each room, section, or area must be considered separately. Equipment should be marked to show Class, Group, and operating temperature or temperature range. You must determine the appropriate classification for each area and ensure that the equipment used is suitable for that classification. The equipment covered includes transformers, capacitors, motors, instruments, relays, wiring, switches, fuses, generators, lighting, alarms, remote controls, communication, and grounding. Electrical classification will be included in equipment specifications.