Electrical equipment for use in hazardous areas
ATEX certified equipment
Issued 11/2004
Reissued 9/2005 and 9/2006
This alert addresses issues regarding the suitability of ATEX approved electrical equipment for use in hazardous areas as defined by AS/NZS 3000 Electrical installations (known as the Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules) (non-Queensland Government link).
ATEX is an acronym of the French for "Atmosphere Explosive" which refers to equipment and protective systems intended for use in atmospheres which are potentially explosive. The EU Directive 94/9/EC provides technical requirements for equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres in Europe. ATEX is an approval scheme as opposed to a certification scheme that allows manufacturers to sell their products within Europe.
In Australia, the standard AS/NZS 2381.1 Electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres—Selection, installation and maintenance (non-Queensland Government link) requires all equipment used in hazardous areas to be certified in accordance with either the Australian/New Zealand or the International Electrotechnical Commission schemes (AUSEx, ANZEx or IECEx). ATEX approval in isolation is not recognised as satisfying Australian Standards or complying with Queensland legislation.
During the design process the designer should specify the details of the hazardous explosive atmosphere and the equipment suitable for installation in that area. Where possible, electrical equipment with AUSEx, ANZEx or IECEx certification should be used.
The use of electrical equipment not certified under these schemes should be restricted to exceptional circumstances, e.g. research, development, pilot plant and other new project work. In these circumstances a suitably qualified person may be able to provide a written assessment (conformity assessment document) which demonstrates the alternate certification provides an equivalent level of safety to that required by the relevant Australian standards. This process must be applied to ATEX equipment before installation within hazardous areas in Queensland.
As such, any general advice or assertions by a supplier or other person regarding ATEX approved equipment as being acceptable for use in an explosive atmosphere environment without further assessment must be treated with caution.
The Electrical Safety Act 2002 (PDF, 788 KB) places an obligation on importers, suppliers, repairers, manufacturers, designers, installers and 'persons in control' of electrical equipment. All obligation holders should be aware of possible difficulties in effectively discharging their obligations under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 if electrical equipment only having ATEX approval certification is used within hazardous areas in Queensland.
Where the use of electrical equipment to alternate Standards other than AS/NZS or IECEx is acceptable to the legal owners, then it shall be the responsibility of the legal owners to ensure that the justification and acceptance for use is documented and this document and the conformity assessment document are included in the verification dossier.
Note that the AUSEx certification scheme of electrical equipment was superseded in December 2003 by the IECEx scheme. Certificates issued under the AUSEx scheme will continue to be accepted during their validity period to allow for a transition to the other schemes. ANZEx certified equipment is also acceptable.
This alert outlines certain requirements of the legislation and standards named above - please refer to these documents for further information.Last updated September 21, 2006
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