ATEX Regulations

Directive 1999/92/EC

Directive 1999/92/EC³ of the European Parliament, a.k.a. the ATEX Workplace Directive or Article 137^1,3, defines the minimum requirements for the health and safety protection of workers who are at risk from explosive atmospheres. These include:

• Prevention of and protection against explosions, including limiting explosive atmospheres and sources of ignition
• Assessment of explosion risks, verification of overall workplace explosion safety and classification of workplace into Ex Zones, with associated Ex Zone signs at points of entry
• Up-to-date explosion protection document, including written instructions and permits to work in Ex Zones and equipment safety for operation in Ex Zones
• Workplace equipment and protective systems including warning devices designed, operated and maintained with regard to safety and Ex Zone requirements
• Workers to be given optical or acoustic warnings and withdrawn before explosion conditions occur
• Appropriate training for workers in Ex Zones
• Provision of appropriate anti-static clothing to workers in Ex Zones
• Ensuring work can be performed safely and appropriate supervision of workers is ensured in accordance with the risk assessment
• Duty of coordination regarding workers' safety where workers of different roles are present simultaneously

National Regulations and Enforcement

The following national instruments for Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland implement Directive 1999/92/EC and are governed by the health and safety governing bodies in each location.

• UK SI 2002 No. 2776: The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) 2002 in Great Britain^5,6 - governed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities. DSEAR is also enforced by Petroleum Enforcing Authorities where the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 apply at workplaces dispensing petrol open to the public such as petrol stations.
• NI SR 2003 No.152: Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations [DSEAR] (Northern Ireland) 2003⁷ - governed by the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) and local authorities. DSEAR is also enforced by Local Authorities who are the acting Petroleum Enforcing Authorities at workplaces dispensing petrol open to the public such as petrol stations.
• SI No. 299/2007: Safety Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 in Ireland⁸ - governed by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and local authorities.

Directive 2014/34/EU

Directive 2014/34/EU⁴, a.k.a. the ATEX Equipment Directive or Article 114^1,4, defines the harmonisation of the laws of the EU Member States relating to equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

2014/34/EU Annex II Section 1⁴, specifies the selection of appropriate materials for Ex equipment and protective systems, in addition to the design and construction of Ex equipment, including:

• CE marking as per Regulation (EC) No 765/2008⁹
• Construction materials must not be able to trigger an explosion or reaction with atmosphere within normal operating conditions that might impair explosion protection
• Predictable changes in material construction over time must not lead to reduction of protection
• Enclosed structures to prevent leaks of flammable gases or dusts
• Flameproof enclosure systems
• Surface temperatures or radiation do not cause danger
• Non-ignition of dust deposits on outer surfaces
• Single or dual independent means of protection against faults (safety device failure or 'failsafe' with restart lockouts)
• Overload protection
• Housing or locked container can only be opened with special tool or other protective measures, to prevent unauthorised opening
• Not creating ignition sources (e.g. electrical leaks, electrostatic discharge, overheating, shockwaves from pressure overcompensation mechanisms etc.)

National Regulations and Enforcement

The following national instruments for Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland implement Directive 2014/34/EU and are governed by the health and safety governing bodies in each location.

• UK SI 2016 No. 1107: Equipment and Protective Systems (EPS) Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016: Great Britain¹⁰ - governed by the HSE. Policy responsibilities lie with the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).
• NI SR 2017 No. 90: Equipment and Protective Systems (EPS) Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017 (a.k.a. 2017 No. 19)¹¹ - governed by the HSENI.
• SI No. 230/2017 - European Union (Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres) Regulations 2017 for Ireland¹² - governed by the HSA.

60079 Standards

The design, construction and testing requirements described above in 2014/34/EU Annex II rely on the 60079 series of specifications. The application of these standards for gas and dust allow technical compliance with the Directive's requirements to be assessed. Both Directive 2014/34/EU and associated 60079 standards allow for the free trade of ATEX equipment and protective systems within the EU and United Kingdom by removing the need for separate testing and documentation in each separate country which would otherwise increase costs and time to market. Ex product manufacturers and importers are required to demonstrate compliance with the standards. IEC standards are however not perfectly uniform across all countries, and deviations are permitted by country, to allow for country-specific requirements, e.g. United States UL 60079, although harmonisation is ongoing.

The 60079 specifications are first created by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and take the form ‘IEC 60079-x:yyyy’, where ‘x’ is the document number and ‘yyyy’ is the year of last revision. Manufacturers of explosion- and dust-proof equipment must comply with these standards internationally.

In the EU, equivalent standards are issued by Comité Européen de Normalisation Électrotechnique (CENELEC), a.k.a. the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, using the format ‘EN 60079-x:yyyy’, where ‘EN’ stands for ‘European Norm’. The EN standard usually follows a few months after the equivalent IEC standard, and as such the year of issue may not be the same as the equivalent IEC standard. Both CENELEC and IEC work in close cooperation, formalised by the Frankfurt Agreement, including the exchange of information and avoiding replication of work where possible; more specifically, offering CENELEC New Work items for European Standards to IEC, parallel voting on draft International Standards and offering European Standards to IEC for possible conversion into International Standards¹³.

In the UK, the British Standards Institution (BSI) issues the CENELEC standard as ‘BS EN 60079-x:yyyy’. The technical content of all three version of the standards is identical. The BSI is the UK national member of ISO and IEC, and the European counterparts, CEN and CENELEC, as well as ETSI.

IECEx Certification

The International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres (IECEx) is a voluntary certification scheme to independently test and certify that Ex products, services and facilities are compliant with IEC standards. It is widely accepted internationally. The IECEx offers 3 different certification schemes:

• IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme
• IECEx Certified Personnel Scheme
• IECEx Certified Service Facilities Scheme

The Certified Equipment Scheme enables manufacturers, regulators and end users of Ex products to properly address explosive gas and dust atmophere risks, and facilitates international trade in Ex products, providing easy recognition of compliant products, and to help increase safety levels.

The Certified Personnel Scheme allows companies to better guarantee the quality of their staff and suitability for their respective roles, in terms of planning, safety management, installation, operation, inspection, maintenance and repair of Ex equipment and systems.

The Certified Service Facilities Scheme is concerned with facilities with hazardous locations with potentially explosive gas and dust atmospheres who outsource certain key areas. This can help to assist companies in evaluating and certifying their service providers for Ex equipment inspection, maintenance and repair, and other safety-related activities, as well as the service provider's equipment, staff competence and QMS; as well as selecting the right partners with the optimal fit in terms of skill set and general suitability.