BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF FIRES AND EXPLOSIONS - RISK ASSESSMENT Understanding Fire and Explosion Processes Explosion Limits Ignition Hazards Due to Electrostatic Charges Comment on the Risk Assessment Classification of Hazardous Areas in Danger Zones Protective Measures with Regard to Static Electricity Methods to Determine the Ignition Capability of Gas Discharges Avoiding Explosion Hazards Constructive Explosion Protection ORIGIN OF STATIC ELECTRICITY Double Layer Discharge What Determines the Charging Amount? Charging of Flowing Liquids Attempt at Classification Charging of Flowing Gases Charging of Disperse Systems Reduction of Charging Tendency Electric Field Electrostatic Induction MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY Explanation of Electrostatic Measurements Voltage Measurement with Voltmeters Measuring the Electric Field Strength Measuring the Electrical Resistance of Insulating Materials Other Metrological Applications Capacity Influencing Factors Detection of Gas Discharges GAS DISCHARGES AS SOURCES OF IGNITION Gas Discharges in Electrostatics Gas Discharge Types Effects of Gas Discharges How to Avoid Gas Discharges? Assessment of Ignition Hazards Posed by Gas Discharges Damage Resulting from Gas Discharges Effects of Electricity on the Human Body ELIMINATION OF DISTURBING CHARGES Discharging of Charged Surfaces Potential Hazards from Discharging Electrodes DESCRIPTION OF DEMONSTRATION EXPERIMENTS Electrostatic Force Effects Separation Charging Charging of Particles Induction Conductivity Experiments with the Blast Tube Gas Discharges Fire and Explosion Hazards CASE STUDIES Investigation Strategy Ignition Due to Brush Discharges Ignitions Due to Spark Discharges Ignition Due to Cone Discharges Doubts About Electrostatic Ignition Experience-Led ActionsPRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF CHARGES Practical Applications Examples of Creative Implementations Summary MATHEMATICAL TOOLBOX: QUANTITIES, UNITS, FORMULAS, Appendix A: SI Units Appendix B: Derived SI Units Appendix C: Units in General Applications Appendix D: Decimal Parts and Multiples Appendix E: Symbols Appendix F: Permittivity