It is crucial to understand what constitutes a hazardous location in a workplace or other setting to keep workers and employees safe. There are several codes that outline what are considered hazardous locations, including the US NEC, Canadian CEC, European Union’s ATEX and the international standard IECEx.
If you want a comprehensive breakdown and comparison of the NEC and CEC from the US and Canada, you can find a previous blog article we wrote here. This article will cover what the ATEX and IECEx are and how they are different.
What is ATEX
Simply put, ATEX is the name of the two Directives for controlling explosive environments used by the European Union (EU), one Directive for the manufacturer and one Directive for the user of the equipment.
The two directives include Directive 99/92/EC, which is also called ATEX 137 or the ATEX Workplace Directive, and Directive 2014/34/EC, which is also called the ATEX Equipment Directive and replaced the old Directive 94/9/EC for the commercial and industrial sectors. The acronym derives its name from the French Appareils destinés à être utilisés en ATmosphères EXplosibles, the title in the 94/9/EC Directive.
Just like the US NEC, the ATEX is broken down into classification Zones for hazardous gases, vapors, mists and dusts.
Zone 0 is considered a hazardous location where dangerous gases, vapors or mists exist continuously or for long periods of time frequently.
Zone 1 is considered a hazardous location where dangerous gases, vapors or mists are likely to exist in normal operating conditions on occasion.
Zone 2 is considered a hazardous location where dangerous gases, vapors or mists are not likely to be present under normal operating conditions, but if they are, they are only present for a short period of time.
Zone 20 is considered a hazardous location if combustible dust is present for long periods of time frequently.
Zone 21 is considered a hazardous location if combustible dust is likely to be present under normal operating conditions on occasion.
Zone 22 is considered a hazardous location if combustible dust is not likely to exist under normal operating conditions, but if it does, it will exist for only a short period of time.
ATEX 99/92/EC (ATEX 137 / Workplace Directive)
This Directive explains the minimum requirements that must be in place in order to provide a safe working environment for workers who are potentially at risk in explosive environments. The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) was created to carry out the requirements in the ATEX 137.
The requirements in the DSEAR apply to most work environments where there is a possibility for fire or explosion due to flammable elements being present. The DSEAR defines a hazardous location as an area where an explosive environment may occur in quantities that require special precautions to keep workers safe.
However, an area where an explosive environment is not expected to occur even in quantities that require special precautions is deemed a non-hazardous location. Special precautions in these instances simply refer to controlling the potential ignition sources within a hazardous location by installing and using special explosion proof equipment.
Hazardous areas declared by the employer or facility owner are classified in Zones. The classification given to each Zone, its size and location are dependent on the likelihood of the environment being explosive and the persistence or length of time if it is.
ATEX 2014/34/EC (ATEX 95 / Equipment Directive)
This Directive concerns the approximation of the laws of the EU Member States regarding equipment and protection systems that are intended to be used in potentially explosive environments. This Directive outlines the essential health and safety requirements and appropriate procedures to be applied before any products go to market throughout the EU.
What is IECEx
The IECEx stands for the International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating for Use in Explosive Atmospheres where the ‘Ex’ at the end stands for ‘explosive environments’. The IEC is the top global organization that prepares and publishes all International Standards for all electrical, electronic and other related technologies.
The purpose of this System is to help facilitate international trade of equipment and services that will be used in (potentially) explosive or hazardous locations while maintaining the required level of safety.
The IECEx System is actually a set of four separate schemes developed to provide international recognition and coordination of the outputs of different classification systems and test labs that practice different levels of expertise with different standards.
The main reasons for this international system include to help reduce testing and certification costs to manufacturers as different countries have different standards. If equipment comes from one country under one set of safety standards and is shipped to another country with a different set of safety standards, the equipment has to be tested in that country to abide by its guidelines for use in hazardous locations. Other reasons include reduced time to market, international confidence in the assessment process of products and only one international database listing.
Key Differences Between ATEX and IECEx
Although both ATEX and IECEx describe the necessary requirements for equipment intended for use in potentially hazardous and hazardous locations, they are different in some ways with the main difference being that ATEX is drive by law and IECEx is driven by standards.
Another difference is that ATEX is only valid in the EU, while IECEx is accepted globally. Also, ATEX is legally required for all non-electrical and electrical equipment that is to be used in hazardous locations. However, IECEx is only required for electrical equipment in hazardous locations.
In terms of standards, ATEX compliance with standards is not mandatory, but for IECEx, a third-party certifier is responsible for combining all aspects of manufacturing and design for public certification. Simply put, the IECEx is stricter than ATEX regarding evidence handling during the certification process.
Another fundamental difference is the way each guide is set up. The IECEx System is actually one of four Conformity Assessment Systems operated by the IEC. The IECEx System includes four separate International Certification pieces, including IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme, IECEx Certified Services Scheme, IECEx Conformity Mark Licensing System and IECEx Certified Competent Persons Scheme. However, the ATEX refers to two separate, but related Directives as outlined above.
Larson Electronics carries a wide variety of explosion proof lighting and fixtures and other explosion proof work area equipment such as heaters for all classifications of hazardous work areas. Detailed product descriptions provide NEC classifications so operators know the rating and where it can be used to keep people safe in hazardous work areas.