ATEX is the European Regulatory Framework for Manufacture, Installation and Use of Equipment in Explosive Atmospheres. It’s long, but not half as complicated as it sounds.

Certain areas, such as mines, chemical industries, oil and petrol exploitations, or fires, are under a high risk of explosion. Can you imagine the consequences a sparkle may have in a fire? The health and security of workers in those atmospheres must be granted, and that’s the mission of the ATEX certification. The ATEX Directive, which is mandatory, states that each area needs to be classified according to the potential hazardous risk, and only appropriate certified electrical equipment can be used in each area.

Directives and Regulations are often updated to ensure the maximum safety is granted. This year, the ATEX Directive is having important changes to its legislation. The current revision will be withdrawn April 2nd, 2015. After this date, lights to be used in potentially explosive areas will have to meet the new standards of the updated regulations. Otherwise, they won’t be ATEX compliant.

That doesn’t mean products already in service can’t be used anymore. The regulation affects only new equipments, and those already in service or in the distribution chain can continue to be used. But, from the 2nd of April, any new product placed on the market must meet the standards of the new regulation.

For many years PELI has complied with the ATEX regulation so that our lighting solutions offer the highest safety guaranteed to workers in hazardous atmosphere environments, and we have been working on adapting our products to the new ATEX regulation since 2014.