What is meant by ATEX?
Explosive atmospheres are a constant hazard in the mining, chemical and petrochemical industries because of the processing techniques used. Such atmospheres can be caused through conditions such as released gases, vapours or mist. Explosive atmospheres should also be anticipated in mills, silos and sugar and feed processing plants. For this reason, electrical equipment in potentially explosive atmospheres is subject to a special directive, ATEX 95 or 94/9/EC. This directive was also extended to non-electrical equipment on 1 July, 2003. ATEX is a working title and is derived from “Atmosphère Explosible” (French for explosive atmosphere). ATEX is Directive 94/9/EC dated 23 March 1994 concerning equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
