Webinar Series: Session 1 - Hazardous Areas 101, What Every Site Needs to Know
Join Ian Breese, Senior Project Manager and Safety Engineer at TEG, as he breaks down what hazardous areas really are, where they occur, and why so many organisations underestimate their exposure to risk.
This webinar is the first in a three-part series on navigating hazardous areas compliance - giving your team the practical knowledge to recognise hazardous area risks, understand your obligations, and close common compliance gaps before they become incidents, costly project changes, or regulatory issues.
Get clear on what hazardous areas are, where they occur, and what your obligations really look like in practice.
Many organisations have hazardous areas on site without fully understanding what they are, where they occur, or what obligations apply. Standards and regulations exist, but the practical reality of identifying and managing explosive atmospheres is often more complex, and more commonly misunderstood, than most teams realise.
In this 60-minute session, Ian will explain the fundamentals of hazardous areas in simple, practical terms. Using real-world examples from food manufacturing, grain handling, wastewater treatment, and energy industries, he will explore how explosive atmospheres develop, where hazardous areas are commonly found, and the consequences of getting it wrong.
You'll also get a high-level overview of the legal obligations that apply and hear about the common misconceptions that lead organisations to underestimate their exposure to risk - gaps that often go unnoticed until they result in an incident or a compliance issue.
Through this expert-led session, you'll build a practical foundation for understanding hazardous areas; what they are, where they hide, and what it takes to stay compliant.
Event Details:
Date: 03 September 2026
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM (NZT)
Location: Online Webinar
Expert: Ian Breese
Cost: Free
What You’ll Learn:
What Hazardous Areas Actually Are
Understand what defines a hazardous area, how explosive atmospheres develop, and why classification is about more than completing a drawing - it's about understanding the real risks present on your site.
Where They Occur in Practice
See real-world examples of hazardous areas across food manufacturing, grain handling, wastewater treatment, and energy industries — and learn why they're more common than many organisations assume.
Your Legal Obligations
Get a clear, high-level overview of the legal and regulatory framework that applies to hazardous areas in Australia and New Zealand, and what compliance actually requires of your organisation.
Common Misconceptions for Risk
Discover the assumptions and blind spots that lead organisations to underestimate their hazardous area exposure, and how to identify compliance gaps before they result in incidents or regulatory action.
About TEG Risk
Getting machine safety right the first time saves your organisation time, money, and risk
We help you identify and control machine safety risks before they become costly incidents. We’ll then provide your business with a robust plan to mitigate your risks to meet your health and safety requirements.
Our team works throughout Australasia, across large multi-site organisations with international clients. We provide safety engineering services for physical and mechanical disciplines and also those related to hazardous substances and hazardous area classifications.
We recently partnered with a large-scale flour mill in Sydney, our team conducted a comprehensive site-wide audit, applying AS/NZS 60079 and AS/NZS 4745 standards to identify gaps in hazard classification, ignition source control, and electrical equipment compliance. Our work delivered a prioritised action plan covering both immediate engineering controls and long-term management system improvements to reduce explosion risk and strengthen regulatory compliance.
MinRisk – Machine Risk Assessments (MRA)
Mobile, real-time machine safety risk assessments for the manufacturing industry.
The team at TEG Risk has a deep understanding of machine safety and risk assessment through its consulting and project management businesses. The TEG Risk team created MinRisk’s software in response to identifying a need for a user-friendly software application for risk assessment. To find out more about the benefits of partnering with MinRisk click the button below.