Standards for the ATEX directive

Since 29 March 2014, Directive 2014/34/EU has regulated the placing on the market within the EU of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. The directive defines the essential health and safety requirements for products used in potentially explosive atmospheres.

As a regulation of the so-called "New Legislative Framework"  the ATEX directive defines only the essential requirements – detailed technical specifications for this are developed by the European standardisation organisations CEN and CENELEC in the scope of harmonised standards. 

If a manufacturer's products subsequently comply with harmonised standards (or parts thereof) ‘the references of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union’ , these products are presumed to conform to the essential health and safety requirements according to Annex II of the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU. By affixing the CE marking, the manufacturer declares that the product meets the applicable requirements and is the visible consequence of a whole process that includes the conformity assessment in the broader sense.
 

Harmonised standards for the ATEX Directive in the EU Official Journal

A publication of harmonised standards as references in the EU Official Journal for the ATEX Directive occurs at irregular intervals by means of so-called implementing decisions, which amend the existing list of harmonised standards for Directive 2014/34/EU.

Within the framework of such a decision standards created on behalf of the Commission are added. This can be done by adding new standards that are listed in the EU Official Journal for the first time, or by including direct successor documents if the predecessor standard no longer corresponds to the state of the art and had to be adapted to changed requirements. An ad hoc adjustment at short notice can also be made via amending standards, which only include a targeted adjustment of a specific section of the ‘basic standard’.

When new successor standards are adopted, the predecessors are removed from the EU Official Journal after a transitional period. This is currently 18 months in order to give manufacturers sufficient time to adapt to the changed safety and health requirements.
 

Updates in the Official Journal

Below we have listed the implementing decisions with amended standard data for the ATEX directive, which contains the most important information as well as a link to the full text of the legal act.