ATEX and DSEAR: Scope

What equipment is not covered by ATEX 95?

In general the following equipment is excluded from the EPS Regulations: medical devices, equipment for domestic and non-commercial use, personal protective equipment, seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units, means of transport. The full list is included in BERR’s guidance on the EPS Regulations.

Does DSEAR apply to offshore installations?

Regulation 3 of DSEAR provides the scope of the application of these regulations. Specifically, Regulation 3(3) lists the explosive atmospheres provisions of DSEAR that do not apply to offshore installations, since these particular issues are covered by the Offshore Installations (Prevention of Fire and Explosion, and Emergency Response) Regulations 1995 (PFEER) and other more specific legislation.

We have imported some reactors which have 1,400 litre capacity for the production of biodiesel. Do these reactors or any part of them need to be ATEX rated?

Operators of biodiesel plants have  to carry out a risk assessment under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR ) to designate any hazardous areas, or ‘zones’ where an explosive atmosphere might occur in normal operation. Operators then need to procure ATEX-certified equipment for use in those zones. In biodiesel production, where methanol is used, the risk assessment will normally lead to the designation of zones in the vicinity of the reactor, meaning that any equipment used there with a potential ignition source, such as motors, heaters, control panels and lighting, will have to be ATEX-certified.

ATEX applies to equipment which is supplied to any country within the European Economic Area (EEA). Manufacturers of biodiesel reactors for use in the EEA should be incorporating ATEX-certified equipment/ components in the design and manufacture of their reactors.