How must intrinsically safe equipment and its wiring be installed in relation to non-intrinsically safe circuits?

Intrinsically safe equipment is designed to minimize the risk of explosion in hazardous locations by limiting the energy available for ignition to a level that is inherently safe. When installing intrinsically safe equipment and its wiring, it is essential that they be arranged in a way that prevents any potential interactions with non-intrinsically safe circuits.

The term "positively" signifies that the intrinsically safe circuits must be separated and clearly defined from non-intrinsically safe ones to ensure that there is no accidental energy transfer or cross-talk between the systems. This helps maintain the integrity of the safety features of the intrinsically safe equipment, ensuring that it operates effectively even in potentially explosive environments.

This requirement is critical for maintaining safety standards, as interactions between different types of wiring could potentially lead to hazardous situations that the intrinsically safe designs are meant to prevent. Other terms like "loosely," "adjacent," or "randomly" imply a lack of strict separation and could compromise safety by allowing the possibility of interference or unintentional connections, which would not support safe operation of the intrinsically safe circuits.