Applus+ Laboratories and Atexpreven have signed a collaboration agreement to develop and roll out industrial-safety services in the explosive atmospheres (ATEX) field. The two companies will join forces to offer ATEX training, inspection and certification services.
One of the first joint activities to result from this agreement is a specialist training package aimed at providing the practical tools required for the identification and evaluation of ATEX risks in facilities as well as supporting the correct interpretation and application of legislation related to the ATEX certification of equipment and protective systems. This training package aims to promote enhanced workplace safety, with a view to permanently ensuring the health and safety of vulnerable workers at the same time as making optimal use of investment and resources.
The training sessions have been organised by Applus+ and will be held on Group premises with Atexpreven support.
Training days
Requirements for ATEX facilities: the establishment of client-specific criteria to aid in the creation of meaningful Explosion Protection Documents that go beyond regulatory requirements.
- Bellaterra (Barcelona), 6th April 2017
- Madrid, 7th March 2017
ATEX risks: risk identification and management for jobs in potentially explosive atmospheres.
- Barcelona, 23rd March 2017
- Madrid, 8th March 2017
- Barcelona, 4th May 2017
- Madrid, 18th May 2017
ATEX directives
Current European legislation takes a two-pronged approach to regulating industrial safety in the area of explosive atmospheres: the
ATEX Equipment Directive, or ATEX 95, (2014/34/EU) and the
ATEX Workplace Directive, or ATEX 137, (99/92/EC), which are together known as the ATEX Directive.
Directive 99/92/CE (Royal Decree 681/2003) sets out the minimum requirements for ensuring that workplaces are as safe as possible in the face of potential explosive-atmosphere risks. The process does not end, though, with the creation of an Explosion Protection Document (EPD) and the implementation of technical and organisational measures; monitoring and following up on the effectiveness of these measures is of paramount importance in ensuring protection.
It is the responsibility of the employer, in line with general legislation on the prevention of workplace risk, to provide employees with adequate and sufficient training and information regarding their protection in the event of an explosion.
Risk management is particularly critical where employees of several businesses come together in one workplace. In such cases, which typically see an elevated accident rate, it is essential to put additional measures in place to ensure operational safety, including action plans, cooperative measures and coordination of activities across the different companies.
In accordance with Directive 99/92/EC (RD 681/2003), equipment, components and protective systems meeting the safety requirements set out in Directive 2014/34/EU (RD 144/2016) – and appropriate to the hazard classification of the area in which they are found – must be used in all industrial processes that could lead to explosive atmospheres.
The appropriate classification and choice of ATEX protection methods and the selection of the certification scheme best suited to an organisation’s needs are key not only to protecting the facility, surroundings and people in question, but also to getting the most from the resources that have been allocated for this purpose.