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Hazardous-area keyboards, specified to your zone.
A keyboard for a hazardous area has to do more than survive a tough workplace. It has to operate safely where gas, vapour, dust or flammable materials may be present. In oil and gas, chemical processing, manufacturing, utilities and industrial control, an ordinary keyboard is not suitable for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere, however well sealed. Hazardous areas are classified into zones by how likely an explosive atmosphere is, and equipment is certified for specific zones, gas groups and temperature classes under schemes such as ATEX and IECEx. Certification varies by keyboard and scheme, so check the certificate and the marking against your zone, gas group and temperature class before you order. Not every keyboard featured here carries ATEX or IECEx certification: some carry only North American Class and Division approval, such as Factory Mutual, which is not a substitute for ATEX or UKEX certification for a zone in Great Britain or the EU. The keyboards featured here are a selection; we supply many more formats, layouts and options, so tell us your classification and we will help you match a certified keyboard.
Eight points to understand when a keyboard has to work inside a classified area instead of outside it.
Intrinsically safe design limits the electrical and thermal energy in a keyboard so that it cannot spark or run hot enough to ignite the atmosphere, but only within the zone, gas group and temperature class stated on its certificate.
Equipment in a classified area needs the approval that applies to it: an ATEX or IECEx certificate and marking for zones, or a Class and Division approval in North America. Check the certificate for your zone, because certification varies by keyboard and scheme.
Gas and dust zones each need the right approval, and gas group and temperature class matter too. Match the keyboard to the area classification in your site documentation, not by guesswork, and ask us if you are unsure.
High IP sealing keeps hydrocarbons, dust and moisture out of the internals, where open switches would clog and fail. IP and NEMA ratings apply only when the keyboard is correctly installed.
Stainless steel and sealed polycarbonate housings are common choices for resisting solvents, salt spray and cleaning agents. Compatibility depends on the material and the chemical, so tell us what your site uses.
Silicone keys are usually rated in millions of actuations and sit on sealed overlays with no gaps. Operating temperature ranges vary, so check the coldest and hottest conditions on site; the temperature class on the certificate is a separate limit.
Panel mount and desktop formats suit consoles and field terminals, and layouts and interfaces can be configured to cut trailing cables. A wireless keyboard needs its own certification for the zone, so confirm that before choosing one.
A high IP rating stops dust and water, but only hazardous-area certification for the zone shows that the device will not ignite the surrounding atmosphere. Intrinsic safety is one way of achieving that, not the only one.
Where hazardous-area keyboards are used: oil and gas, petrochemical and chemical plants, offshore platforms, pharmaceutical manufacturing and mining. Each block lists typical tasks in that setting. In each case the keyboard must be certified for the zone it is installed in, so tell us your classification.
From wellheads and offshore platforms to refineries and tank farms, oil and gas sites combine flammable hydrocarbons with continuous process operation. Field terminals and HMI stations inside classified zones need a keyboard certified for that zone, while sealed standard keyboards can serve control rooms outside the hazardous area. Check the certificate for the zone, gas group and temperature class before you order.
Wellhead and drilling control terminals
Refinery process monitoring HMI
Tank farm and terminal gauging
Pipeline and metering station panels
SCADA and control-room access
Hazardous-area maintenance data capture
Refining and petrochemical plants handle volatile feedstocks and solvents at scale, creating extensive gas Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas. Process control, batch handling and inspection tasks inside those areas need a keyboard certified for the zone, gas group and temperature class; tasks outside them do not. Tell us your classification and we will help you match.
Distillation and cracking unit HMI
Batch and blending control
Emissions and leak-detection logging
Loading and offloading terminals
Laboratory and quality sampling
Turnaround and shutdown maintenance
Chemical plants combine flammable and corrosive media with strict process discipline. Inside classified areas, reactor control, dosing and compliance recording need a keyboard certified for the zone, and chemically resistant, sealed construction helps where aggressive chemicals are present. Tell us the chemicals and the classification.
Reactor and process control HMI
Chemical dosing and metering stations
Solvent handling and storage areas
Recipe and batch record entry
Environmental and safety compliance logging
Maintenance and calibration workstations
Offshore platforms and vessels face explosive atmospheres alongside salt spray, humidity and constant vibration. Stainless steel housings resist corrosion and ingress, but only certification for the zone admits a keyboard to a hazardous area. If the project also needs marine type approval, tell us at the start.
Drilling and production control
Engine room and machinery monitoring
Ballast and cargo control systems
Dynamic positioning consoles
Deck and crane operations logging
Offshore maintenance terminals
Pharmaceutical manufacturing uses flammable solvents in areas that also demand strict hygiene and contamination control. Sealed, wipe-clean construction helps with hygiene, but a keyboard used in a classified solvent area must also be certified for that zone. Tell us the zone and the cleaning regime.
Solvent handling and drying areas
Granulation and coating suites
GMP batch and recipe records
Cleanroom data entry and review
Environmental monitoring logging
Validation and calibration tasks
Underground and surface mining generate combustible dust and, in coal operations, flammable gas such as methane. Equipment for underground mining is certified under its own equipment group, separate from surface industry, so tell us if that applies. Dust ingress, vibration and impact also matter for control and monitoring roles.
Underground control and monitoring
Gas and dust detection logging
Conveyor and haulage control
Processing and screening plant HMI
Ventilation system monitoring
Maintenance and inspection records
Start with your hazardous-area classification, because certification, not toughness, decides where a keyboard can go. Identify the zone, gas or dust group and temperature class from your site documentation, then check that the keyboard's certificate and Ex marking cover all three. Confirm which scheme applies to your site, ATEX, UKEX or IECEx, or the Class and Division system in North America; they are separate systems with their own certificates and are not interchangeable. Remember that a high IP rating seals against dust and water but does not make a device intrinsically safe, so both are needed in wet process areas. Check whether the keyboard requires a certified barrier or specific wiring, and decide on the format, panel mount, desktop or wireless, along with any pointing device. A wireless keyboard needs its own certification for the zone. Finally, have a specialist verify the full marking against your classification before you order.
Answers on zones, schemes, certification, sealing and installation for hazardous-area keyboards. Not here? Call +44 (0)1474 240120.
A keyboard is intrinsically safe when its electrical and thermal energy is limited by design so that it cannot produce a spark or hot surface capable of igniting a surrounding explosive atmosphere, and when it carries formal hazardous-area certification to prove it. Intrinsic safety is one protection concept among several, and it is achieved through energy-limited circuitry, isolation and, often, a certified barrier rather than through sealing alone. Certification is per keyboard and per zone, so check the certificate and the Ex marking against your area before specifying.
ATEX and IECEx are two certification frameworks for equipment used in explosive atmospheres. ATEX is the European Union directive and marking scheme, IECEx is an international scheme recognised in many countries, and the two draw on the same underlying technical standards. In Great Britain the equivalent is UKEX marking under UKCA, so if your site is in Great Britain, check with your safety team whether ATEX or UKEX marking is required. North America mainly uses a separate Class and Division system with its own certificates, which is not interchangeable with ATEX zones. Which scheme applies depends on the jurisdiction of your site, and certification varies by keyboard and scheme, so check the certificate for your zone and ask us if you are unsure.
Under ATEX and IECEx, hazardous areas are classified by how likely an explosive atmosphere is to be present. Gas Zone 0 is continuous or long-lasting, Zone 1 is likely in normal operation and Zone 2 is unlikely and short-lived, with the equivalent dust classes being Zones 20, 21 and 22. Equipment must be certified for the specific zone in which it is installed, so check the marking on the certificate against your zone, and ask us if you are unsure how your area is classified.
Because ingress protection and intrinsic safety measure different things. An IP rating tells you how well a keyboard keeps dust and water out, whereas intrinsic safety tells you the device cannot ignite the explosive atmosphere around it, which requires energy-limited design and formal hazardous-area certification. A keyboard can be fully sealed yet still unsafe in a classified zone, so use only a keyboard certified for the zone, with its marking verified against your area classification.
Start with your hazardous-area classification, then match the certification, format and interface. Define the gas or dust zone (or the North American Class and Division), the gas group, the temperature class and the certification scheme your jurisdiction accepts. Then choose panel mount or desktop, the pointing device (touchpad, FSR, pointing stick or none) and wired or wireless connectivity. Check each certificate for the exact marking, because certification varies by keyboard and scheme. With your zone classification, installation and cut-out details, we can help you find a certified keyboard, from the selection featured here or from the wider options we supply, and check the marking against your area before you order.
Only where the wireless keyboard is certified for the specific zone. A wireless device is a radio transmitter as well as an electrical device, so it needs certification covering the zone, and wireless operation is not automatically permitted in every zone or by every site rule. Some certified keyboards offer both wireless and wired USB connection, which removes trailing cables where that is an advantage. Check the certificate and the site rules before deployment.
Often, but check. Hazardous-area keyboards are commonly built with stainless steel or sealed polycarbonate housings and smooth, sealed silicone key overlays with no open switches, so hydrocarbons, solvents and cleaning agents wipe away without reaching the electronics. Compatibility with your cleaning regime and chemical set varies by material, so tell us what your site uses and we will check.
Choose by installation. Panel mount installs the keyboard flush into a console, cabinet or machine, which simplifies sealing and reduces tampering, while desktop provides a standalone unit on a bench or field terminal. Some desktop keyboards are portable and offer a wireless option. In every case the keyboard must be certified for the zone of the installation, which takes priority over format.
Your site’s hazardous-area assessment defines the gas group and temperature class, so start with that documentation rather than guessing. The gas group reflects how easily the specific gases present ignite, and the temperature class sets the maximum surface temperature the equipment may reach. A certified keyboard must meet or exceed both for your zone. Share the classification drawing with us or a hazardous-area specialist, who can check the equipment marking against your gas group and temperature class.
No, adding an enclosure does not make an ordinary sealed keyboard safe for a Zone 1 area. Intrinsic safety limits the electrical energy inside the device itself so it cannot spark, which a standard keyboard cannot do regardless of housing. Any equipment entering a classified zone needs its own hazardous-area certification. Specify a keyboard certified for the zone instead, and have the marking confirmed against your area classification before installation.
Often yes. Many intrinsically safe keyboards must be connected through a certified safety barrier or isolator that limits the energy reaching the device, and the installation has to follow the wiring rules in the certification. Cable type, length and earthing can all matter. Because getting this wrong voids the protection, confirm the required barrier, wiring method and any documentation with a hazardous-area specialist before the keyboard goes into service.
ATEX keyboards are input devices designed for hazardous areas, where flammable gases, vapours or combustible dust can form an explosive atmosphere. Certification is per keyboard and per zone, under ATEX, IECEx or the North American Class and Division system, so the specifications to compare are the Ex marking, zone, gas group, temperature class, ingress rating, pointing device and connectivity.
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Every site is different, and certification is per zone. Tell us the zone, the gas or dust group, the temperature class, the scheme your site uses and where the keyboard has to work, along with the format and pointer you want, and we will help you match a certified keyboard from the selection featured here or from the wider hazardous-area options we supply.