Hand Pallet Trucks

A pallet truck in a classified area presents two ignition sources that are easy to overlook. The first is mechanical: steel wheels, forks and the pump body striking racking, kerbs, drums or the floor. The second is electrostatic, since a truck rolling on insulating wheels accumulates a charge on the frame that will eventually discharge to earth as a spark, and in a solvent or dust atmosphere that discharge is enough.

Explosion protected trucks address both, using non-sparking materials at impact points, commonly bronze or stainless components, together with conductive or anti-static wheels and castors that continuously bleed static charge to the floor.

Conductive wheels only work if the floor provides a path to earth. On a sealed, insulating epoxy coating the charge has nowhere to go and the anti-static specification is defeated. Confirm the floor resistance forms part of your assessment rather than assuming the truck alone solves it.

Work from the zone classification first, then capacity, fork length and fork width for the pallets actually in use. Stainless bodied versions serve a second purpose in pharmaceutical and food environments where washdown and corrosion resistance matter alongside the explosion protection.

Keep the wheels clean, since a build-up of product or shrink wrap on a conductive tyre insulates it, and check the earthing path periodically rather than at purchase only.