Explosion-Protected Forklifts for Hazardous Areas
MHS supplies certified explosion-protected forklifts, stackers and pallet trucks for hazardous areas across New Zealand.
How are hazardous areas classified in New Zealand?
New Zealand classifies hazardous areas under AS/NZS 60079, the Australian and New Zealand adoption of the international IEC standard.
Areas are divided into zones based on how often an explosive atmosphere is likely to be present:
- Zones 0, 1 and 2 — flammable gas and vapour
- Zones 20, 21 and 22 — combustible dust
Equipment must be certified to the protection level its zone requires. Certification is typically ATEX or IECEx.
What makes a forklift explosion-protected?
Certified machines are engineered throughout rather than modified after the fact:
- Sealed or flameproof electrical components and enclosures
- Surface temperature monitoring to stay below the ignition point of the atmosphere present
- Conductive tyres and antistatic components to prevent static discharge
- Non-sparking materials at potential contact points
- Antistatic seat and fabric covers
- Certification to the specific zone, gas group and temperature class of the area
Getting the specification right
Explosion protection isn’t a single rating — a machine certified for one zone and gas group isn’t automatically suitable for another. Specifying correctly requires:
- The zone classification for each area the machine will work in
- The gas group and temperature class of the substances present
- Whether the hazard is gas, dust, or both
- Whether the machine crosses between hazardous and non-hazardous areas
- Existing hazardous area documentation for the site.
We’ll work from your hazardous area documentation to specify machines certified for the zones they’ll actually operate in, and tell you plainly if what you’re asking for isn’t available.
Forklift Machines used for Explosive Protection:
Diesel Forklifts
LPG Forklifts
Electric Forklifts
Electric forklifts can be used in indoor warehouse areas where quiet operation and emissions-free equipment are required.
Supporting transport and freight businesses across New Zealand
MHS supplies material handling equipment to transport operators, freight forwarders, container depots, courier and parcel operations, and port-adjacent logistics businesses.
These fleets work hard in difficult conditions. Every machine we supply is backed by MHS parts and technicians, with scheduled servicing and breakdown support from Auckland and Christchurch.
