ATEX

ATEX certification

ATEX certification indicates that the product can be installed in potentially explosive or flammable atmospheres.

The acronym stands for ATmosphères and EXplosives.

It is governed by two standards issued by the European Union: 2014/34/EU and 99/92/EC on the regulation of equipment and safety of workers in potentially explosive atmospheres.

The ATEX standards classify products according to the type and the danger of the installation environment.

The main division into groups is as follows.

  • Group I: use in mines.
  • Group II: surface use.

The groups are then divided into Categories according to the product level of protection and into Zones according to the frequency and time of exposure to combustible substances as well as the composition of the potentially explosive environment such as: Gases, Dusts, Fibres etc.

A further classification measure is the working temperature, where several classes T1 to T6 are defined.

The products undergo stringent resistance, impact and temperature tests to designate their ATEX class.