Irish workplaces where flammable gases, vapours, mists or combustible dusts could form an explosive atmosphere must assess and control the explosion risk. Workplace duties are principally set out in Part 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007. Separate ATEX product regulations apply to equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
ATEX is commonly used to describe European requirements relating to potentially explosive atmospheres.
An explosive atmosphere can arise where flammable gases, vapours, mists or combustible dusts mix with air under conditions in which combustion can spread rapidly after ignition.
In Ireland, it is important to distinguish between two different aspects of ATEX:
These requirements are related, but they are not the same legislation and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Workplace requirements are principally contained in Part 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007, S.I. No. 299/2007.
Part 8 applies to workplaces where employees are potentially at risk from an explosive atmosphere, subject to the exclusions contained in the Regulations.
The Regulations require employers to assess explosion risks, classify hazardous areas, take appropriate prevention and protection measures and provide suitable equipment, information and training.
Equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres are separately regulated by the European Union (Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres) Regulations 2017, S.I. No. 230/2017.
These Regulations implement Directive 2014/34/EU in Ireland and establish requirements for products intended to be placed on the market or put into service for use in potentially explosive atmospheres.
Employers selecting equipment for a classified hazardous area should ensure that the equipment is suitable for the zone and conditions in which it will be used.
Where an explosive atmosphere is present, is likely to be present or may arise from time to time, the employer must carry out a suitable assessment of the risks arising from that explosive atmosphere.
The assessment should consider matters including:
The assessment should form part of the employer’s wider workplace risk-assessment process.
Where explosive-atmosphere risks are relevant, the employer must prepare an Explosion Protection Document, often referred to as an EPD.
The document records how explosion risks have been assessed and managed. It should identify the hazardous areas, prevention and protection measures, equipment requirements and arrangements for maintaining safe working conditions.
The HSA advises that an Explosion Protection Document may form part of an existing risk assessment or Safety Statement rather than necessarily existing as a completely separate document.
Where an explosive atmosphere may occur in quantities requiring special precautions, the area must be classified as hazardous and assigned an appropriate zone.
The extent and classification of hazardous zones should be determined by a competent person using the characteristics of the substances, sources of release, ventilation and operating conditions.
No. The presence of a flammable substance does not automatically mean that an entire storage area must be classified as an ATEX zone.
The employer must assess whether an explosive atmosphere could form, how frequently it could occur, how long it could persist and where it could be present.
Factors such as container integrity, ventilation, transfer operations, potential releases and the physical properties of the substance can all affect the assessment.
The Regulations require employers to take appropriate technical and organisational measures based on the nature of the operation.
The priority is generally to:
Measures should be reviewed regularly and whenever significant changes are made to the workplace, substances, equipment or processes.
Ignition sources can be electrical or non-electrical and should be considered as part of the explosion-risk assessment.
Potential sources can include:
Equipment used in classified hazardous areas must be selected according to the risks and zone classification involved.
Equipment used within a classified hazardous zone must be suitable for the hazardous area and the explosive atmosphere that may be present.
The required equipment category, protection concept and other characteristics depend on factors including the zone, gas or dust involved and relevant temperature classification.
ATEX requirements are not limited to electrical equipment. Non-electrical equipment can also present ignition hazards and may fall within the applicable product requirements.
Employees working in areas where explosive atmospheres may occur must receive suitable information, instruction and training concerning the risks and the precautions required.
Where required by the Explosion Protection Document, employers may also need:
Before a workplace containing an area classified as hazardous is used for the first time, the employer must ensure that its overall explosion safety is verified by a competent person.
The competent person should have sufficient training, experience and knowledge appropriate to the explosion risks and systems being assessed.
Area-classification documentation, equipment certification and other relevant records should form part of the verification process and Explosion Protection Document.
ATEX can be relevant to chemical storage where flammable substances could be released in quantities capable of creating an explosive atmosphere.
Storage design may therefore need to consider:
Whether ATEX applies, and the extent of any hazardous zones, should be established by the site’s risk assessment rather than assumed from the name or type of storage product being used.
No. ATEX compliance cannot be established simply by purchasing a storage unit containing ATEX-rated electrical components.
The overall workplace must be assessed, hazardous areas must be correctly classified where necessary and equipment must be suitable for the specific zone and substances involved.
The employer remains responsible for the workplace explosion-risk assessment, Explosion Protection Document and the selection of appropriate preventive and protective measures.
Chemstore can design hazardous material storage solutions around the substances, quantities and site-specific risks identified by the customer and their competent advisers.
For flammable-liquid applications, the Firevault range provides fire-rated storage options that can be configured for different operational requirements.
Where electrical or mechanical components are required within a hazardous area, the specification must be based on the relevant area classification and equipment requirements for that particular installation.
A Chemstore product does not replace the employer’s ATEX risk assessment or Explosion Protection Document.
No. DSEAR, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, is UK legislation and does not apply in Ireland.
Irish workplaces should instead refer to Part 8 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 for workplace explosive-atmosphere requirements, together with the applicable Irish ATEX product legislation.
The Health and Safety Authority and Irish Statute Book provide the primary sources for Irish ATEX requirements.
This page provides general information on ATEX requirements in Ireland. It does not replace Irish legislation, HSA guidance, an Explosion Protection Document, area classification, a site-specific risk assessment or advice from a competent person.
The requirements for a particular workplace depend on the substances, processes, possible release scenarios, ventilation, ignition sources, equipment and operating conditions involved.
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