ATEX Regulation: Directive 2014/34/EU Equipment and Protective Systems

On February 26, 2014, the European Council adopted Directive 2014/34/EU on the harmonization of the laws of the Member States concerning equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.

This directive, known as the "ATEX (Explosive Atmospheres) Directive", replaces the previous ATEX Directive 94/9/EC following European Parliament and Council Decision no. 768/2008/EC. This decision concerns the application of a common framework for the marketing of products on the European market.

Directive 2014/34/EU is taken in application of Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This article deals with the manufacture and circulation of products. This directive applies to all those who manufacture and place on the market products for explosive atmospheres, or those who carry out manufacturing by assembling products of various origins.

In addition, the application of Decision 768/2008/EC and Regulation (EC) 765/2008 makes all economic operators involved in product distribution accountable, and defines the rules for accrediting conformity assessment bodies and monitoring products placed on the market.

Directive 1999/92/EC, based on Article 137 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, covers the safety of workers in potentially explosive atmospheres, and supplements the ATEX Directive.

Directive 2014/34/EU, which replaced Directive 94/9/EC, had itself replaced Directives 76/117/EEC, 79/196/EEC and 82/130/EEC, which formed the basis of current regulations on equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres, in 2003. The application of these "old approach" directives, which worked well for many years, nevertheless had a number of drawbacks. In particular, these directives only applied to electrical equipment, and had to be updated whenever the standards in force were modified, which meant that manufacturers had to wait a long time before applying the new editions of the design standards.

Since 1 ^er July 2003, all protective devices and systems placed on the European market must comply with Directive 94/9/EC and since April 20, 2016 with Directive 2014/34/EU.

Directive 2014/34/EU was transposed into French law by Decree no. 2015-799 of 1 ^er July 2015.

This article enables manufacturers, distributors and users of products subject to the ATEX Directive to familiarize themselves with the main requirements of this regulation and its application.

All interpretations of the ATEX Directive can be found in the ATEX Guidelines drawn up by the Commission's...