In many branches of industry the production, processing, transport or storage of combustible materials may lead to the creation or release of gases, vapour, mist or combustible dust into the environment. A potentially explosive atmosphere exists when a mixture of such flammable substances combine in a way that can ignite, under certain operating conditions, with the oxygen of the air and may lead to an explosion.

Especially in the chemical and petrochemical industries, the transport of crude oil and natural gas, the mining industry and in mills (e.g. grain or granular solids) this can result in serious injury to personnel and extensive damage to equipment. To guarantee the highest possible level of safety the ATEX directive requires equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres to be designed and manufactured to minimise the occurrence and limit the severity of accidental explosions with product manufacturers being solely and ultimately responsible for the conformity of their products to the applicable directives by:

• ensuring conformity of products to the Directive (providing for certificates of conformance)
• designing and constructing products in accordance with the essential safety and health requirements
• following the procedures for the assessment of the conformity of the product

Contact us if you need support designing your electronics to comply with ATEX directives.