Measures to prevent explosions (ATEX)

Is there a potential explosion hazard on your company premises? You must take measures to ensure your employees can work safely. The equipment and products you use must be explosion-proof. You must comply with the ATEX directives.

What is ATEX?

ATEX stands for ATmosphere EXplosible (explosive atmosphere). A potentially explosive atmosphere exists when a mixture of air and flammable substances such as gases, vapours, mists, or dusts, combine in a way that can ignite under certain operating conditions. For example, if a spark or flame comes into contact with this mixture, it can ignite rapidly and cause an explosion.

In the EU, you have to comply with 2 ATEX directives on potentially explosive atmospheres:

• ATEX directive 114, which sets out the health and safety standards for equipment and products used in potentially explosive atmospheres. This directive applies mainly to manufacturers.
• ATEX directive 153, which sets out the health and safety standards you must meet to protect your employees who work in explosive atmospheres.

General rules to protect your employees

You must take technical and/or organisational measures to prevent explosion hazards and to protect your employees from explosions, including:

1. Take measures to prevent the existence of potentially explosive atmospheres.
2. If you cannot prevent this, you must ensure that explosive atmospheres do not come into contact with potential ignition sources.
3. Should an explosion occur, you must ensure that the impact on your workers’ health and safety is limited.
4. Take measures to prevent explosions from spreading.

ATEX certificate for safe equipment

Equipment and products that are used in explosive atmospheres must meet the safety requirements set out in ATEX directive 114. If an installation or product is explosion-proof, it will get an ATEX certificate. As a manufacturer, you can apply for an ATEX certificate to a certifying body.

Explosion protection document

If there is a potential explosion hazard in your company, you have to draw up an explosion protection document before work starts. The explosion protection document is part of the Risk Assessment & Evaluation (RI&E). The explosion protection document must include:

• what explosion risks exist in your company
• how significant these explosion risks are
• the measures you take to prevent explosions and explosion hazards
• the division into explosion hazard zones
• how work equipment, workplaces, and alarm systems are safely set up, operated, and maintained
• the way you inform your employees about the risks

You must revise the document if there is a change in your workplace, work equipment, or organisation of the work.

Hazard zones

You must classify working areas that may have an explosion risk into hazard zones (ATEX zones). Danger zones for gas, vapour, or mist explosions are defined, as well as danger zones for dust explosions. Each zone indicates the level of risk of an explosion. This allows you to identify the risks and hazards in your workplace, and how to take appropriate preventive measures to protect your employees. You must put up warning signs in every working area where an explosion risk is identified.