ATEX Directives

• There are two ATEX Directives governing potentially explosive environments enforced by the European Commission.
•  ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU governs products that are supplied for potentially explosive environments.
•  ATEX Directive1999/92/EC governs workplaces that might have an explosive atmosphere.

Examples of Equipment that are not ATEX-Compliant

• An example of equipment that does not need ATEX certification in a potentially explosive environment is a valve that is manually operated. However, "an electric or pneumatic operated valve" needs to be ATEX-compliant.
•  Other examples of equipment that doesn't need this certification include "hammers, ladders, doors, tanks, sight glasses, cables, [and] fire extinguishers".

Main Criteria for ATEX-Compliance

• Criteria: All equipment that has its "own potential [source] of ignition" needs to be ATEX-compliant.

Examples of Equipment that are ATEX-Compliant

• Equipment that must be ATEX-compliant include valve body (because of its electrostatic ignition risks), valve accessories (including coupling and adapter), a mechanical actuator such as "pneumatic, manually operated, [and] transmissions", and electrical actuators such as solenoid and positioners.

Summary

• Our background research shows that information about ATEX certification or compliance is publicly available. However, we could not find specific details about certification for a biosensor that uses a skin patch to measure heart rate.
• We found, however, that the main requirement to ensure that equipment adheres to the ATEX certification is once it is perceived as having its "own potential [source] of ignition".