Spare parts (§33): Spare parts for products already placed on the EU market are generally outside the ATEX scope unless they qualify as equipment or components under the Directive, in which case full compliance is required.

Equipment outside scope (§38): Further clarification is provided on “simple” electrical and mechanical products without their own ignition source (e.g., hand tools and hand-operated valves). Such products are typically out of scope. Certain consumer products (e.g., domestic battery pumps) may instead fall under the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988.

Digital EU Declaration of Conformity (§74, §151): The requirement to supply the EU DoC and instructions solely in paper form is removed. Safety instructions must still be provided on paper, but the EU DoC may be made available digitally. When provided in digital form, the manufacturer must indicate on the product (e.g., on the rating plate) an internet address or machine-readable code, such as a QR code, enabling direct access to the EU DoC. The document must remain accessible online for the expected product lifetime and at least 10 years after placing on the market. A paper copy must be supplied free of charge upon request.

Trace heating systems (§253): Clearer distinction between stabilized/controlled designs and Type A/Type B systems, with defined certification, temperature classification, installation, and manufacturer responsibilities.

More information:
Matej Debenc
E-mail: matej.debenc@siq.si
Tel.: +386 1 4778 227

The post New ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines 6th Edition – January 2026 appeared first on SIQ.

Historically, the flameproof enclosure is the oldest type of explosion protection. It can be traced to the beginning of 19th century when petrol lamps were used in coal mines, where mesh was used as flame barrier to prevent ignition of the surrounding methane atmosphere. The first IEC standard for flameproof enclosure was issued in 1957.

The advantage of the flameproof enclosure is that standard industrial equipment can be mounted inside the enclosure, the disadvantage is that this enclosure must withstand explosion pressure, meaning the use of enclosures with thick walls, which are heavy and expensive.

A distinctive feature of the flameproof enclosures are also flameproof joints, or flamepaths. These paths ensure that the flame, developed by an internal explosion, cools to a level not capable to ignite the surrounding explosive atmosphere.

Flameproof devices must comply with the general requirements of standard IEC 60079-0 and the specific requirements of standard IEC 60079-1 for flameproof enclosures. The protection is marked with the symbol Ex d, which is further subdivided into Ex da, Ex db, and Ex dc, denoting different levels of protection. Ex da provides the highest level of safety and is used for portable gas detectors, while Ex dc represents the lowest level and is suitable for electrical equipment with electrical switching contacts.

At SIQ Ljubljana, we test and certify flameproof devices. Certification is carried out in accordance with Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX) as well as the international IECEx certification scheme.

More information:
Matej Debenc
E-mail: matej.debenc@siq.si
Tel.: +386 1 4778 227

The post Understanding Flameproof Enclosure “d”: Principles, Standards, and Certification appeared first on SIQ.

If we look at the statistics of all explosions, it quickly becomes clear that the problem does not lie only in the equipment but also with people. The vast majority of accidents are caused by human error. These mistakes cannot be prevented in any other way than through a risk assessment, awareness, and training. Everyone must be included in this process – from company management, financial staff, engineers, and maintenance personnel to operators. It is often mistakenly assumed that this concerns some groups more than others, but the situation is similar to team sports, where each team member contributes to the overall success.

While no one can be excluded from the requirement for training, the method and content of the training can be adapted to each group so that it is tailored as closely as possible to their role. A financial officer, for example, needs to understand different aspects of explosion protection than a maintenance technician. The more adapted and targeted the training is, the greater the safety that can be achieved. Safety in explosion protection is a very straightforward metric – there has been no explosion. At SIQ, we have been conducting seminars on explosion protection for many years, focusing primarily on these aspects.

It is also important to mention the manufacturers of Ex-equipment, for whom SIQ also provides training. They too must ensure safety through their knowledge of explosion protection, which includes understanding the requirements of standards for the design, testing, and certification of Ex-equipment. Unfortunately, the process is too often reversed: a manufacturer already has a product and then tries to turn it into Ex-equipment. Ex-equipment must be designed correctly from the very beginning with the necessary knowledge. It is not possible to simply upgrade ordinary equipment into Ex-equipment. Achieving this requires appropriate training of manufacturers as well.

More information:
Matej Debenc
E-mail: matej.debenc@siq.si
Tel.: +386 1 4778 227

The post Explosive Atmospheres: Explosion Safety appeared first on SIQ.

While intrinsic safety is only one of several types of protection for electrical Ex-equipment, its versatility has made it one of the most widespread. The principle of intrinsic safety is to prevent ignition of an explosive atmosphere by electrical sparks or hot surfaces. For gases and vapours, typical ignition energies range from 0.01 mJ to 0.3 mJ. Intrinsic safety ensures that by limiting voltage, current, power, inductance, and capacitance, any spark or thermal effect generated within an IS-protected circuit will remain below these ignition thresholds. Thus, an intrinsically safe device is incapable of igniting an explosive atmosphere.

An IS system generally consists of two main parts. The first is the intrinsically safe barrier, usually located in an electrical cabinet outside the hazardous area. Its function is to restrict all electrical parameters of the circuit. This barrier then supplies the second part of the circuit — the intrinsically safe device installed within the hazardous area. Due to the limited available power (typically not exceeding 1 W), intrinsic safety is most often applied to low-power instrumentation and control devices, such as temperature, pressure, position, level, or vibration sensors.

IS devices must comply with the general requirements of IEC 60079-0 and the specific requirements of IEC 60079-11 for intrinsic safety. The protection is marked with the symbol Ex i, which is further subdivided into Ex ia, Ex ib, and Ex ic, denoting different levels of protection. Ex ia provides the highest level of safety and may be used, for example, inside a gasoline tank, while Ex ic represents the lowest level and is suitable only for less demanding applications, such as gas bottle storage facilities.

At SIQ, we test and certify devices with intrinsic safety protection. Certification is carried out in accordance with the 2014/34/EU (ATEX) Directive as well as the international IECEx certification scheme.

More information:
Matej Debenc
E-mail: matej.debenc@siq.si
Tel.: +386 1 4778 227

The post Explosive Atmospheres: Intrinsic Safety appeared first on SIQ.

Hydrogen reacts with oxygen, releasing energy that can be used for various purposes—most commonly, to power vehicles—while the only by-product is water. The idea sounds nearly ideal. So why didn’t mankind adopt this concept much earlier?

The first major obstacle is that hydrogen cannot simply be extracted and used as an energy source, as it does not naturally occur in elemental form. It must be produced. One of the more attractive methods is water electrolysis powered by green electricity. However, this is merely an ideal scenario. In reality, about 95% of all hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas or methane. This process involves splitting methane into hydrogen and carbon dioxide using steam. Calculations show that producing 1 kg of hydrogen requires over 2 kg of methane. In addition to the methane used as feedstock, further methane is burned to generate the necessary steam. As a result, significant amounts of carbon dioxide are released. In fact, producing 1 kg of hydrogen generates nearly 10 kg of CO₂. These figures reveal that hydrogen is far less “green” than often claimed.

What about safety? Hydrogen is significantly more explosive than methane. Its minimum ignition energy is just 0.019 mJ—15 times lower than methane’s 0.29 mJ—making it much more hazardous. Another critical difference lies in storage: hydrogen can only be stored in three ways. One method involves extremely high pressure, up to 700 bar in commercial hydrogen vehicles, which greatly increases the risk of leakage. High pressure also leads to hydrogen embrittlement, causing cracks in storage cylinder walls. Only certain materials are resistant to this form of corrosion. The second method is storing hydrogen as a liquid at 20 K (approx. -253 ºC), which is arguably the safest but technologically very demanding. The third method is storing hydrogen in solid form as a metal hydride, which presents a risk of spontaneous combustion. In short, none of these storage methods is risk-free.

Let us now examine what type of explosion-protected equipment is required for hydrogen. According to gas group classifications, Ex-equipment is divided into IIA, IIB, and IIC categories. For most common fuels, equipment in group IIA suffices. However, for hydrogen, the most stringent group—IIC—must be used. Requirements are also stricter in terms of electrostatics. For example, the thickness of paint on metal, which acts as an insulating layer and therefore present an electrostatic risk, is limited to 2 mm for methane, but only 0.2 mm for hydrogen. Of course, this is just one of many safety aspects that must be considered. As a result, the number of hydrogen-related incidents has increased dramatically—so much so that a dedicated database was created to log all hydrogen accidents.

So, what’s the solution? In South Korea, authorities chose to soften safety requirements for hydrogen use, in an effort to promote adoption of hydrogen technologies. No further comment seems necessary.

Personally, I would propose a different solution. If we want a safe hydrogen future, we must first gain deep expertise in hydrogen technologies. This is also an area where SIQ can support you. Then, we must consider the technical specifications of hydrogen—not just legal goals.

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Find out more about Explosion protection services at SIQ.

The post Explosion Protection Requirements in the Field of Hydrogen Technologies appeared first on SIQ.

Focusing on gases and vapours, the most effective method – besides ensuring containment – is ventilation. The requirements for ventilation in explosive atmospheres are defined in the standard EN IEC 60079-10-1. According to this standard, the required amount of ventilation must be adjusted based on the known amount of flammable substance leakage. In practice, the air flow rate is not the most crucial parameter. In explosion protection, we are always interested in the air velocity at the point of leakage.

Whenever possible, natural ventilation is preferred, as it is several times more effective than forced ventilation.

A common mistake is failing to consider the density of gases and vapours. If gases or vapours are heavier than air, ventilation must be provided at floor level. If we are dealing with gases or vapours lighter than air, extraction must be provided at the highest point near the ceiling.

Let’s look at two examples:

• In a battery charging room, where hydrogen is generated, extraction must be ensured at the highest point of the room, and this extraction must be controlled. Battery charging is only permitted if air flow is ensured.
• In a paint mixing room, where all vapours are heavier than air, extraction must be provided at the lowest point in the room, i.e, below the workstation.

With proper ventilation, we can significantly contribute to explosion safety, and in some cases, other measures – such as the installation of Ex equipment – may no longer be necessary.

Our seminars on explosion protection at SIQ Ljubljana focus on all the necessary measures for preventing explosions, where you can learn much more.

More information:
Matej Debenc
E-mail: matej.debenc@siq.si
Tel.: +386 1 4778 227

The post Ventilator in Ex hazardous areas appeared first on SIQ.