Application of the ATEX regulation to laboratories

ATEX regulations are designed to improve the health and safety of workers exposed to the risk of explosive atmospheres (ATEX for short).

However, the activities carried out in a laboratory frequently involve the use of flammable products, in the form of gases or liquids of varying degrees of volatility. The formation of ATEX is therefore a priori possible, and the ATEX Directive must therefore be applied, even if its implementation obviously takes into account the fact that, unlike an industrial production facility, the quantities of flammable products used in the laboratory are necessarily limited.

This article reviews the requirements of the ATEX regulations, describes situations which have led to incidents or accidents, and proposes preventive measures which must be taken in application of these regulations, and which enable laboratory activities to be carried out in sufficiently safe conditions with regard to the risk of explosion.

This article also provides an update on the contributions of Directive 2014/34/EU, which specifies the responsibilities of manufacturers, importers and distributors linked to the placing on the European market of ATEX-certified equipment.

Lastly, we offer an insight into the planned evolution of competence standards for people working in ATEX zones.

See [SE 3 251] for important definitions on this subject.