ATEX Assessment & CAD
Compliance

ATEX applies to all equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres within the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA) and aims to protect workers against risks arising from explosive atmospheres. An employer must take organisational and/or technical measures to:

• prevent the formation of explosive atmospheres, or where the nature of the activity does not allow that, it should avoid the ignition of explosive atmospheres
• mitigate the detrimental effects of an explosion to ensure the health and safety of workers
• where necessary, these measures shall be combined and/or supplemented with measures to prevent the propagation of explosions

Employers must also assess the specific risks from explosive atmospheres, taking account at least of:

• the likelihood that explosive atmospheres will occur and their persistence
• the likelihood that ignition sources, including electrostatic discharges, will be present and become active and effective
• the installations, substances used, processes and their possible interactions
• the scale of the anticipated effects