The Atex Directive

The directive is valid for equipment, components and protection system intended to be used in explosive atmospheres. The directive was published in 1996 but was not mandatory until the 1st of July 2003. The manufacturer must prove that the equipment fulfils the essential safety requirements which often requires involvement of a notified body for type examination and certification of the product as well as the production.

The ATEX directive 94/9/EC is implemented in the Swedish law through the regulation of the Swedish National Electrical Safety Board ELSÄK-FS 1995:6 for electrical equipment. For non-electrical equipment the regulations of the Swedish Work Environment Authority is valid (AFS 1995:5 with amendments AFS 2000:23 and AFS 2000:40).

For electrical equipment also the ordinance concerning electrical material SFS 1993:1068 shall be fulfilled, i.e. good safety practice shall be applied.

The ATEX directive is supplemented by the user directive 1999/92/EC which states minimum requirements for improvement of safety and health for employees, who can be exposed to hazards caused by explosive atmosphere. This directive is implemented in the Swedish law through the regulation of the Swedish Work Environment Authority AFS 2003:3 and the regulation of the Swedish Rescue Services Agency SRVFS 2004:7. Electrical installations shall be designed in accordance with the regulation ELSÄK-FS 2004:1.

Types of protection and standards

Examples of different types of explosion protection for electrical equipment:

The standards are used together with the general part EN 50014/EN 60079-0.

Examples of different types of explosion protection for non-electrical equipment:

The standards are used together with the general part EN 13463-1.