Regulations

The European Union, in the context of the risk due to the presence of potentially explosive atmospheres, has adopted two directives on health and safety, known as ATEX 2014/34/EU (also ATEX 114) and ATEX 1999/92/EC (also ATEX 153).

The ATEX Directive 1999/92/EC defines the minimum requirements for health and safety in workplaces with the presence of potentially explosive atmospheres; In particular, it divides them into zones, according to the probability of the presence of an explosive atmosphere and specifies the criteria on the basis of which products are selected within these zones.

The ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU was implemented in Italy with Legislative Decree 85 of 19 May 2016 and applies to products put on the market and/or in service from 20 April 2016. It applies to products put on the market and/or in service from 20 April 2016, defining the responsibilities of the main economic operators (art. 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the Atex Directive 2014/34/EU) and the methods of product certification (art. 13 of the Atex Directive 2014/34/EU).

What is Atex?

"ATEX" stands for "ATmosphere EXplosive".

An explosive atmosphere is a mixture of flammable substances in the state of gases, vapours, mists or fuels in a powdery state with air (oxidizer), under certain atmospheric conditions under which, with ignition, combustion spreads to the flammable mixture.

In order for a potentially explosive atmosphere to form, the flammable and/or combustible substance must be present in a certain concentration; If the concentration is too low (poor mixture) or too high (rich mixture) there is little tendency to form an explosion but a combustion reaction, or even no reaction at all, can be produced.

The explosion can therefore only occur in the presence of an ignition source and when the concentration is within the explosibility range in mass or volume of the substances, between the minimum limit (LFL) and maximum limit (UFL). The explosibility limits depend on the ambient pressure and the percentage of oxidizer present in the atmosphere.

Sectors that require ATEX Certification:

ATEX Certification has become a fundamental requirement in a wide range of industrial and production sectors.

In the context of the essential requirements for health and safety in the workplace, the compliance of the machines used, including industrial vacuum systems, with the ATEX certification regulations is of particular importance.

There is a major focus on the following production areas: chemical and pharmaceutical industries, oil and gas refineries, automotive and aerospace, airport management and aircraft maintenance, military, industrial mills and furnaces, coal-fired power plants and nuclear plants, animal-feed production, woodworking, engineering and 3D printing, especially in the use of metal powders, and finally, waste treatment plants and paint production.

What is Atex?

Sectors that require ATEX Certification: