ATEX

Every one has deadlines, from ensuring that this feature is written in time for the Summer
issue to catching the plane to go on holiday.

The big deadline for industry in Europe this year in the implementation of two European
Directives associated with equipment used in and people who work in potentially explosive
atmospheres. The Directives are known as ATEX:

from the French – ATmospheres EXplosibles.

Compliance with both ATEX Directive is a legal requirement in all European Union Member
States from 1 July 2003 .

ATEX Directive 94/9/EC (also known as ATEX 95 or ATEX 100A)

If you design, manufacture or sell any equipment or protective system intended for use in
potentially explosive atmospheres you will need to comply with the ATEX Directive 94/9/EC
and the CE Marking Directive. Directive 94/9/EC is a directive adopted by the European
Union (EU) to facilitate free trade in the EU by aligning the technical and legal requirements in
the Member States for products intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

The Directive covers equipment1[1] and protective systems2[2], which may be used in areas
endangered by potentially explosive atmospheres created by the presence of flammable
gases, vapours, mists or dusts. The Directive covers electrical and non-electrical equipment.
The directive explicitly excludes the following types of products:

 Medical devices
 Products for the use in the presence of explosives
 Products for domestic use
 Personal protective equipment
 Sea-going vessels and mobile off-shore units
 Means of transport, except vehicles for use in potentially explosive
atmospheres
 Military equipment

Directive 94/9/EC came into effect on a voluntary basis on 1 st March 1996 and will be
mandatory from 1st July 2003.Therefore a period of over seven years has been allowed for
manufacturers to ensure that equipment supplied to the market will be ATEX approved, from
this date it will be necessary for all products placed on the market or put into use to comply
with the ATEX Directive.

EHSR’s

Essential health and safety requirements: equipment, protective systems and safety devices
must satisfy the relevant essential health and safety requirements set out in Annex C of
Directive 94/9/EC.

The requirements take into account the intended use of the products and changes in
technological knowledge as far as possible, with immediate utilisation. They include general
measures requiring manufacturers to take steps to prevent the formation of explosive
atmospheres by the equipment, protective system or safety device; to prevent the ignition of
an explosive atmosphere by electrical and non-electrical sources; and to ensure that, should

1
2
an explosion occur, it can be halted immediately or limited in range. Other aspects covered
include:

 the materials used;

 design and construction;
 mechanical hazards and vibrations;
 safe opening;
 electrostatic hazards;
 hazards arising from external effects; and
 the integration of safety requirements.

Methods of complying with the Essential Health and Safety Requirements:

manufacture in conformity with:

 specified European harmonised standards, whose reference numbers will have been
published in the Official Journal of the European Communities, which will be
published in the United Kingdom as identically worded British Standards; or

 harmonised standards specified in the Electrical Equipment for Explosive

Atmospheres (Certification) Regulations 1990 in respect of electrical equipment for
which a certificate of conformity to the harmonised standards was obtained in
accordance with those Regulations which shall be valid until 30 June 2003 (unless it
expires before that date) provided that the electrical equipment conforms to the type
covered by that certificate; or

 in the absence of relevant specified European harmonised standards, existing

national technical standards and specifications regarded as important or relevant to
the proper implementation of the essential health and safety requirements may be
used instead; or

 the essential health and safety requirements.

When using any standards, whether Ca Desi Design Applicatio Zon

from the first, second or third point teg gn Requirement n e of
listed above, always check that: ory of s use
safe
 the standard (s) cover all of the ty
essential health and safety 1 Very Two Where Zone
requirements relevant to the high independent explosive 0
product; and level means of atmospher Zone
of protection or es are 20
 the standard (s) are to the safet safe with two present
latest version as representing y separate continuousl
the current state of technical faults y or for
knowledge. lengthy
periods
In the absence of a relevant standard in 2 High Safe with Where Zone
respect of any such requirement, a level frequently explosive 1
manufacturer would have to of occurring atmospher Zone
demonstrate conformity of the product safet disturbances es are 21
with the requirement itself. y or with an likely to
operating occur
fault
Groups
3 Nor Safe in Where Zone
mal normal explosive 2
Apparatus is divided into Equipment level operation atmospher Zone
groups: I for mining and II for surface of es are 22
safet likely to
y occur
infrequently
and be of
short
duration
industries and into categories M1and M2 for mining and category 1, 2 and 3 for all other
industries. The categories provide respectively, very high, high and normal levels against
ignition. The categories should be viewed as delivering the level of priority which is obtained
by applying the existing protection techniques (Ex ‘d’, Ex ‘e’ etc.) together with such new
concepts and engineering judgement that will be made by the manufacturers in the design
and construction of the apparatus and by the ‘Notified’ (certification) bodies who will, where
required, produce EC type examination certificate.

The categories in practice are equated to the suitability for Zones. Apparatus will be marked
with the grouping and category in addition to the marking required by the individual protection.

Fig1 ATEX categories and Applications:

EC type examination certificate

It is mandatory for manufacturers to obtain an EC (European Community) Type Examination

Certificate from a notified body if they are manufacturing electrical equipment in Categories
M1, M2, 1 and 2 or diesel engine protection systems in Category 2. In all other cases
manufacturers are free to certify their own equipment which is similar to the situation that has
always existed under the old Explosive Atmosphere Directive. Traditionally however users
have always sought some form of certification for this type of equipment and this continues to
be the situation in practice. Depending on the category of equipment involved, manufacturers
are also required to install a quality system that ensures that a product that has been type
examined will be faithfully replicated. There are 5 annexes in the ATEX Directive which
identify different quality systems for this purpose. These annexes require manufacturers to
have in place either an ISO 9000 quality management system or a notified body must be
involved in the inspection of product in some capacity. In either case a notified body is
responsible for ensuring that a manufacturer produces products which fully accord with the
design which was the subject of the original EC Type Examination Certificate. Quality
management systems must either be audited by the notified body, if that body holds
accreditation to EN 45012 or another organization that has this qualification and is accepted
by the notified body. The latter provides manufacturers greater freedom of choice.

ATEX Directive 99/92/EC (also known as ‘USE’ or ATEX 137).

Refers to the safety and health protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive
atmospheres. The Directive highlights what the employer must do to prevent and
protect against explosions, the employer shall take technical or organisational
measures in accordance with the following basic principles:

 Prevention of the formation of the explosive atmosphere

 Avoidance of the ignition of explosive atmosphere
 Mitigation of the detrimental effect of an explosion.

The above measures to be combined and/or supplemented with other measures and shall be
reviewed regularly. The employer shall assess the specific risks arising from explosive
atmospheres, taking account of

 Likelihood and persistence of an explosion;

 Likelihood of ignition sources;
 Installations, substances used;
 Scale of the effects of an explosion.
Areas must be classified into zones defined as follows:

Explosive AtmosphereA mixture with air, under atmospheric conditions, of flammable

substances in the form of gases, vapours, mists or dusts.

Gas Mists or Vapours

Zone 0 A place in which an explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture with air of

flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is present continuously or for long
periods or frequently.

Zone 1 A place in which an explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture with air of

flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is likely to occur in normal operation
occasionally.

Zone 2 A place in which an explosive atmosphere consisting of a mixture with air of

flammable substances in the form of gas, vapour or mist is not likely to occur in normal
operation but, if it does occur, will persist for a short period only.

Dusts

Zone 20 A place in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust
in air is present continuously, or for long periods or frequently.

Zone 21 A place in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust
in air is likely to occur in normal operation occasionally.

Zone 22 A place in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust
in air is not likely to occur in normal operation but if it does occur, will persist for a short period
only.

EPD

The Directive also requires that an Explosive Protection Document (EPD) be prepared and
maintained which identifies hazards, evaluates risks and defines safety measures.

In addition to assessment of the effect of any explosion the EPD must consider:

§ Substitution of flammable products with non flammable

§ Training

§ Permits to work

§ Warning of explosive conditions

§ Escape routes

§ Power failure

§ Manual overrides

§ Emergency shutdown

§ Co-ordination between workers in the area

 § Installation and maintenance of equipment

§ Permit to Work systems

§ Warning Notices

§ Policies and procedures associated with apparatus for potentially explosive

atmospheres.

Permit to work systems

There will be, as a result of the directive, a legal requirement to have a permit to work system
and written instructions for operation within workplaces containing potentially explosive
atmospheres. Details of this system will be included in the Explosion Protection Document.
Signs

The Directive requires that all areas classified as hazardous be identified with a warning sign.
The sign must be triangular, black on yellow with the text EX. The signs must be displayed at
points of entry into explosive atmospheres.

The Directive applies to all workplaces, which contain potentially explosive atmospheres,
established after 30 June 2003 . Existing workplaces have a further three years to comply.

Summary

There will be by 2003 (2006 for existing workplaces) a legal duty to prepare and maintain an
Explosion Protection Document with risk assessment and hazardous area classification, .

There will also be a duty to verify the overall safety of workplaces containing potentially
explosive atmospheres before they are put into operation. A competent person must carry out
this verification. Permit to work systems will be required for all work in Hazardous Areas and
suitable signs will be required at all entry points to the areas.

Implementation

Each member country must implement the two ATEX Directives by 1 July 2003 . In the
UK the two Directives will be implemented as:

ATEX "Equipment Directive" - 94/9/EC, implemented by Statutory Instrument 1996 No192:

“The Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive
Atmospheres Regulations 1996” amended by SI2001 No.3766.

ATEX "Protection Directive" - 99/92/EC, implemented by Statutory Instrument 2002 No 2776:

Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR). DSEAR
combines the ATEX Directive 99/92/EC and the safety aspects of the Chemical Agents
Directive 98/24/EC.

The countdown has begun. The deadline for ATEX is 1 July 2003