Inspection, Maintenance and Repair of ATEX Equipment

To apply the directive 1999/92/EC, the employer shall ensure that the work equipment, used in place where explosive atmosphere may occur, are maintained so as to reduce at most explosion risks. The maintenance shall be realized in a permanent concern for keeping the protection level of work equipment in ATEX. This level shall never be either modified or deteriorated. That's why this activity shall be carried out only by workers who have been trained to the specificity of the protection types and shall be the matter of specific follow-up and management. The safety shall also be guaranteed if the maintenance and overhaul of equipment are sub-contracted. We will establish technical and organizational recommendations to ensure a safe maintenance of ATEX equipment. On a technical point of view, the international standards IEC 60079-17 et IEC 60079-19 deal with inspection, maintenance, repair and overhaul of electrical apparatus for explosive gas atmospheres. With regard to the mechanical equipment, we will produce some elements of our referential ISMATEX and SAQRATEX. To deal with the management of maintenance, we shall particularly watch over the identification of the ATEX equipment, the archiving of technical documentation, the establishment of maintenance planning, and to the traceability of the interventions. We shall also be sure that the maintenance workers are correctly trained and experimented, either they are internal workers or sub-contractors.