UKCA, ATEX & IECEx Schemes

UKCA ‘Ex’, The ATEX Directive and IECEx

 

European countries require CE Marking and ‘ATEX’ is one of the CE Marking Directives required if your product is in scope and is designed to be used in potentially explosive atmospheres (gas or dust).
Many other countries (noticeably Asia and the Middle East) may use ATEX as a specification (which may or may not include other CE Marking Directives). The use of harmonized European standards (prefixed ‘EN’) gives the manufacturer the “presumption of conformity” to the “Essential Health and Safety Requirements (EHSRs)” and this is the basis on which to issue a declaration of compliance for the ATEX Directive. It is also possible to certify directly against the Essential Health and Safety Requirements without applying a Standard, but this is a far more difficult route and requires a high degree of specialist knowledge and experience (ExVeritas are experts in this type of approval).The ATEX Directive requires that Zone 0 and Zone 1 electrical equipment (and zone 0 non-electrical equipment) has the following documents for approval.

  • An ATEX EC Type Exam Certificate, which documents the evaluation and testing of the subject equipment, performed  to the applicable Standards and/or EHSR’s, The certificate is issued by a Notified Body. ExVeritas are an ATEX Notified Body
  • An ATEX Quality Module which documents the suitability of the manufacturer’s QA system, the Standard used is EN ISO IEC 80079-34:2011 and the Certification is issued by a Notified Body. More on Quality Modules
  • A Declaration of Conformity (DoC) and Technical File stating compliance with all applicable Directives. The DoC is  issued by the manufacturer.

For certain types of equipment (non-electrical for Zone 1 or both electrical and non-electrical for Zone 2), it is possible to self-certify, although in most cases buyers will request some form of 3rd party certification. For non-electrical equipment designed for Zone 1 use, self-certification can be carried out but the technical file generated must be lodged with a Notified Body.

Selling products for use in potentially explosive atmospheres in both the UK and EU will now require 2 marks, not just the ‘ATEX’ and ‘CE’ mark that was accepted when the UK was part of the EU. If your product previously required, an ‘ATEX Notified Body’ you will need to now use a UK Government UKCA Appointed Body that has explosive atmosphere certification (‘Ex’) on its scope which ExVeritas has.

ATEX Notified Body

ExVeritas ApS is a Notified Body, Number 2804, with full scope for (ATEX) 2014/34/EU Equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.  Notification can be verified online at the European Commission. ExVeritas ApS are accredited by the National Accreditation Body of Denmark (DANAK) against the EU ATEX Directive, Registration Number 7044.

UK Government UKCA Appointed Body for ‘Ex’

ExVeritas UKCA Approved Body Number 2585. The Approved Body listing can be viewed on the UK Government Website and ExVeritas hold UKAS Product Certification, Quality System Certification & Test Laboratory Registration Number 8613.

 

The IECEx Scheme

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The IECEx Scheme is a voluntary Certification Body Scheme for electrical equipment (non electrical equipment will be covered in the near future) used in potentially explosive atmospheres . It consists of three elements, all issued by an IECEx Scheme Certification Body (ExCB):

  • IECEx Test Report (ExTR), which documents the evaluation and testing of the subject equipment, performed to the applicable IEC Series Standards
  • IECEx Quality Assessment Report (ExQAR), which documents the suitability of the manufacturer’s QA system, performed to OD 005 (EN ISO IEC 80079-34:2011)
  • IECEx Certificate of Conformity (IECEx CoC), which can be issued to a manufacturer holding an ExTR and an applicable ExQAR.

Unlike ATEX, there is no route for self-certification. There is also no legal requirement to have IECEx Certified Equipment, but it may be a specification requirement (some buyers prefer the scheme as there is no self-certification route)
IECEx can now offer ‘Special’ Certification (not using conventional protection concepts) using IEC 60079-33: 2012
Please contact us for more details on either scheme