Coatings manufacturing concentrates flammable solvent in one building, in large quantities, at close to ambient conditions, and then asks operators to move it repeatedly between vessels, drums and IBCs. That combination of high inventory and high handling frequency is what defines the engineering problem, and it is why area classification and ignition control matter more here than almost anywhere else in chemical manufacturing.
Projex Solutions provides engineering design, process safety studies and project delivery for manufacturers of paints, coatings, printing inks and surface treatment chemicals.
What makes this work different
Solvent inventory drives COMAH status. Flammable solvent held in bulk and in packaged form aggregates quickly, and many coatings sites sit at or near a COMAH threshold without an up-to-date determination.
Handling frequency drives ignition risk. Decanting, drumming, IBC filling and pigment addition are all operations where flammable atmospheres and potential ignition sources are brought together deliberately. Electrostatic discharge during transfer and powder addition into solvent is a well-documented ignition mechanism and a routine finding in DSEAR assessments.
Area classification is often out of date. BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021 revised the evaporation-rate methodology and removed the safety factor k; EI 15 reached its 5th edition in October 2024. Classifications derived before those changes need reviewing rather than assuming.
Solvent emissions are permitted. Sites operate under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (as amended), with abatement performance and emission points forming part of the permit that any capacity change has to be reconciled with.
Powder handling brings a second hazard. Pigment and filler handling introduces combustible dust risk alongside the solvent risk, and the two are frequently assessed separately when they should be assessed together.
Where we help
- DSEAR assessment and hazardous area classification covering both gas and dust, to BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021 and EI 15 (5th edition)
- Electrostatic hazard assessment for transfer, filling and powder addition operations, with earthing and bonding design
- Explosion protection design for dust handling, covering venting, suppression and isolation
- HAZOP and LOPA facilitation and SIL determination to BS EN 61511
- COMAH tier determination and engineering support to safety report production or revision
- Solvent storage and transfer design, including bunding, containment and vapour management
- Environmental permit variation support where capacity or emissions change
- Feasibility and FEED studies, detailed multi-discipline design, and EPCM delivery under ISO 9001:2015
Typical reasons clients get in touch
- Area classification drawings predate the current standards and the site knows it
- A new solvent or resin system changes the inventory and the assessment with it
- Filling and decanting operations have grown organically and now need designing properly
- An environmental permit constrains a planned capacity increase
- Powder addition has never been assessed for dust explosion risk
- An insurer has raised requirements the current building cannot satisfy
Related
Part of our work across the chemical sector. Closely related to chemical formulation and blending, and to adhesives, sealants and construction chemicals.
Standards and regulations we work to
- DSEAR 2002, with ACOP L138 (second edition, 2013)
- BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021 for gas and vapour area classification
- BS EN 60079-10-2 for combustible dust area classification
- EI 15 (5th edition, October 2024)
- COMAH 2015 where solvent inventory crosses threshold
- HSG51, The storage of flammable liquids in containers (third edition, 2015)
- Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (as amended), for solvent emissions
- COSHH 2002, with ACOP L5 (sixth edition, 2013)
- BS EN 61511-1:2017+A1:2017 where safety instrumented functions are required
- CIRIA C736 for containment systems design
- CDM 2015 and ISO 9001:2015
Frequently asked questions
Our area classification was done properly at the time. Why would it need revisiting?
Because the methodology changed. BS EN IEC 60079-10-1:2021 revised the evaporation-rate equations and removed the safety factor k from the charts, and EI 15 moved to its 5th edition in 2024. A classification derived under the previous approach is not automatically wrong, but the basis on which it was produced is no longer current, and that is what an inspector will ask about.
Is static really a significant ignition risk?
Yes, and it is the mechanism most often underestimated. Transferring non-conductive liquids, filling plastic or lined containers, and charging powder into solvent all generate charge. Earthing and bonding provision is frequently incomplete on plant that has grown incrementally.
We handle both solvent and pigment powder. Do those need separate assessments?
They need to be assessed together. Where powder is charged into a flammable liquid, both a vapour and a dust hazard can be present in the same operation, and treating them as separate exercises tends to miss the interaction.
Can you support an environmental permit variation?
Yes. We build the technical case alongside the design, so that the abatement performance and emission points being claimed are the ones the plant will actually deliver.
Do you work with insurers on fire protection for solvent stores?
Yes, and on coatings sites the insurer’s requirements usually govern over the general standard. Separation distances, containment and sprinkler design tend to be settled through dialogue with them rather than presented to them as a finished scheme.
Can you improve batch consistency as well as safety?
Frequently the same changes do both. Closed transfer, accurate dosing and controlled addition rates reduce operator exposure and ignition risk while also removing a common source of batch variability.
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