PPE for explosive atmospheres: what “ATEX” means (and doesn’t) on your product

Manufacturers of protective equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres often ask whether their PPE falls under the ATEX Directive (2014/34/EU). The short answer, important for marking, is: no.

PPE is excluded from ATEX. The ATEX Directive itself excludes personal protective equipment from its scope. Instead, PPE intended for use in explosive atmospheres is covered by the PPE Regulation — specifically essential health and safety requirement 2.6 in Annex II: such PPE must be designed and manufactured so that it cannot be the source of an electric, electrostatic or impact-induced arc or spark capable of igniting an explosive mixture.

The marking consequence. Because PPE is outside the ATEX Directive, a manufacturer must not declare compliance with the ATEX Directive, and must not use the ATEX (Ex) symbol on the PPE. Under Article 17 of the PPE Regulation, misleading markings are forbidden — and an ATEX claim on PPE would be exactly that. A notified body will not accept it in a Module B application.

What you can do. “ATEX” (from ATmosphere EXplosive) is a widely used acronym inside and outside the EU. The term may appear in the type or model reference and in the information for use — as a description of the intended use environment, consistent with Annex II §2.6 (and the environmental requirements of §1.4) — but not as a claim of conformity with the ATEX Directive, and not as the Ex symbol.

How GÉPTESZT works within its scope. A notified body may only carry out conformity assessment in the field for which it is designated. Protection against explosive atmospheres (essential requirement 2.6) lies outside GÉPTESZT’s designation, so we do not assess that protective function — a body notified for it is required. For the PPE that is within our scope, however, we always make sure the marking is correct: no claim of ATEX-Directive conformity and no Ex symbol on the product, in line with Article 17.

This article summarises the treatment of PPE for explosive atmospheres, drawing on Regulation (EU) 2016/425 (Annex II §2.6, Article 17) and the notified bodies’ Recommendation for Use PPE-R 00.079.