Hi there I've recently paid a visit to a workshop where they have an area dedicated to metal work - limited to cutting, grinding and MIG welding of steel to create temporary structures. From a fire/hot work perspective I'm relatively happy as it is a well managed space with very few combustible materials around and has designated areas for cutting, grinding and welding away from any pipework. However, within the space there is a wide variation in the protection of electrical equipment - some switches are IP rated 65, some 67, some none at all, some lights are fully enclosed (again presumably IP rated but I couldn't get close enough to check) and some are not. This doesn't look right to me - either everything needs to be protected against various hazards to certain standards or it doesn't. So, my question, given that I've not had to deal with this subject for a while, and my memory isn't what it used to be, is - what standard of protection is required for electrical switches, equipment and lighting fittings in an area where this kind of metal work is being carried out?

the first numeral of the IP rating refers to the ingress of solid objects and the second to ingress of water. 6 relates to the ingress of dust - the equipment is dust tight. 5 relates to water jetting and 7 temporary immersion. For a welding bay this sounds fine and the discrepancy would not concern me.

Anything above IP4x or 5x should be suitable, as long as the IK rating is acceptable also.