The rules for ATEX compliance of non-electrical (mechanical) equipment differ to those of electrical equipment. Whilst such products still need to “comply” with the Directive, in most cases the products do not need to be “certified” and as such it’s not always required to obtain a certificate from a Notified Body, nor an ATEX QAN.

Instead, in most cases, compliance is demonstrated via a self-declaration route, and by creating a technical file of relevant information on the product to support this declaration. In certain cases this file needs to be stored with a Notified Body (scroll down to see the various routes to conformity).

The Standards Used

The list of harmonised standards for ATEX define the EN ISO 80079 series (parts 36 and 37 of the standards) be used in most cases to facilitate compliance to the EHSRs of the directive (Annex II). EN ISO 80079-36:2016 is the generic standard which should be used as the basis, with part 37 concerning types of protection constructional safety “c”, control of ignition sources “b” and liquid immersion “k”.

Non-Electrical Equipment meeting the requirements of EN ISO 80079-36:2016 shall be marked with the Ex-marking code “h”; non-electrical equipment meeting the requirements of EN ISO 80079-37:2016 supplemental to those of EN ISO 80079-36:2016 shall also be marked with the Ex-marking code “h”.

There is no additional marking with regard to the specific Type(s) of protection applied. In accordance with EN ISO 80079-36:2016 – clause 9, and EN ISO 80079-37:2016 – clause 10, the description of the type(s) of protection, e.g. “c” (constructional safety), applied is given in the instructions manual of the equipment.

We Are Here to Help!

From the early days of ATEX up to the present day, we’ve helped hundreds of manufacturers of mechanical equipment ensure compliance of thousands of products. The below references provide an overview of the relevant conformity routes that your product may fall under.

In most cases, there is no legal requirement for a Notified Body to check or review compliance as the responsibility to ensure compliance falls solely on the manufacturer. We can however, as an accredited body, support you in this process by talking through the requirements before you start, or by reviewing and commenting on your technical file once it’s complete, and before you store it.

These optional services are explained in our datasheet on technical files.