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Directives, Standards and Regulations

The requirements for electrical equipment for hazardous locations are multi-layered: National and international determinations, guidelines and standards must be complied with to achieve the highest possible level of safety. We give you an overview of the most important regulations and recommendations, such as the ATEX directive.


All equipment brought into the European Union, must fulfill the requirements of the unified ATEX directive. The abbreviation ATEX is derived from the French term "ATmosphère EXplosive." But what, precisely, is the ATEX directive? The abbreviation ATEX is derived from the French: “ATmosphère EXplosive.”

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Everything worth knowing about Ex protection at a single glance.

ATEX – European Guideline, Recognized Worldwide

The ATEX directive applies to all products used in hazardous locations and is mandatory for all EC member states. It includes the ATEX product directive 94/9/EC (ATEX 95) and the ATEX operating directive 1999/92/EG (ATEX 137). The ATEX Directive was formulated by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, the EC member states, European industry, the CEN and CENELEC and the notified bodies such as BAM, PTBand TÜV.

The product guideline is directed at manufacturers and regulates the placing of products that will be used in areas subject to explosion on the market. The goal of this guideline is to protect people who work in areas subject to explosion or who linger there. The basic health and safety requirements must be adhered to by the manufacturer and proven through the conformity assessment process with EC declaration of conformity and CE mark. For the operating guideline 1999/92/EC, by contrast, the focus is on the employees who could be endangered by the potentially-explosive atmosphere. The guideline contains important safety requirements and protective measures, which the operator or employer must implement.

IECEx – Worldwide Free Goods Traffic

IECEx is an international process for the certification of resources that are used in areas subject to explosion. The goal of the IECEx scheme is the harmonization of national and international Ex standards. Thus global trade in resources for applications subject to explosion is simplified without having to forego the high safety level of the ATEX guideline. The resources certified according to IECEx are recognized by the international uniform standards, inspections, and test symbols. Due to increasing globalization, certifications according to IECEx are becoming ever more appealing.