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by mcpherrinm 1098 days ago
A regular light switch might spark as you flip it, or a power switch on electronics.

Some electronics use a spark gap as a form of surge protection:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark_gap#/media/File:PCB_Spar...

None of that would be acceptable in an environment that requires intrinsically safe equipment.

The electronics also need to be carefully current-limited so there's no chance they overheat and cause an explosion that way too.