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CMPC A B L E G L A N D A N D C A B L E C O N N E C T I O N S P E C I A L I S T S

PURPOSE OF CERTIFICATION

Before products, equipment, or protective systems can be selectedfor installation in a hazardous area they should first be certified asbeing suitable for that application. A Certificate of Conformity forequipment intended for use in Explosive Atmospheres is evidencethat the product, equipment or protective system conforms and hasbeen tested to a relevant standard. The Certificate of Conformity willclearly show the standards to which the test were carried out, andwhich edition of the standard was used, and it should also provide aschedule describing the apparatus and any variations ormodifications that have been approved. The Certificate of Conformity

should endorse the type of equipment proposed to be used as beingsafe for its intended use, with any Special Conditions for Safe Use, ifapplicable, clearly spelled out within the document.

It should be noted that the certificate alone does not make aninstallation safe, and there is an obligation on the part of theinstallation contractor and / owner to ensure that the apparatus isinstalled correctly, in a competent manner, and in accordance withthe manufacturers instructions, taking into account any specialconditions for safe use that may exist.

IEC EX CERTIFICATION SCHEME

IEC Ex 02 International Certification SchemeIn addition to the preparation of International Standards, the IECfacilitates the operation of Conformity Assessment Schemes. Onesuch scheme is the IEC Ex 02 Scheme.

The IECEx 02 scheme is a single global certification scheme based onthe International Electrotechnical Commission's internationalstandards.

The IEC Ex Scheme comprises the following two Global CertificationPrograms:1. The IEC Ex Certified Equipment Program2. The IEC Ex Certified Service Facilities Program

This IEC Ex Program is an International Certification Scheme coveringproduct that meets the requirements of International Standardsprepared by TC 31 e.g. IEC 60079 series.

Scheme ObjectiveThe objective of the IEC Ex Scheme is to facilitate international tradein equipment and services for use in explosive atmospheres, whilstmaintaining the required level of safety resulting in:

• Reduced testing and certification costs to manufacturer,• Reduced time to market,• International confidence in the product assessment process,• One international database listing,• Maintaining International Confidence in equipment and services

covered by IEC Ex Certification.

The IEC Ex Certified Equipment Program provides both:

a) A single International Certificate of Conformity that requiresmanufacturers to successfully complete:-• Testing and assessment of samples for compliance with

Standards,• Assessment and auditing of manufacturers premises,• On-going surveillance audits of manufacturers premises.

or

b) A “fast-track” process for countries where regulations still requirethe issuing of national Ex Certificates or approval. This is achieved byway of global acceptance of IEC Ex equipment Assessment and TestReports.Certificates issued by the IEC Ex Certified Equipment Program areissued as “Electronic Certificates” are live on the IEC Ex Website(www.iecex.com). This enables full public access for viewing andprinting.

2. The IEC Ex Certified Service Facilities Program

This IEC Ex Program is an International Certification Scheme thatcovers the assessment and the on-site audit of organizations thatprovide a repair and overhaul service to the Ex industry. Like the IECEx Certified Equipment Program, only “Electronic Certificates” areissued via the “On-Line” system thereby giving industry full access toboth the viewing and printing of certificates.

Under the IEC 60079 series, IEC Ex and ATEX certificates cover theapproval of products and equipment to the same IEC basedstandards, assuming that the products and equipment have beenapproved to the latest standards. In some countries of the world it isconsidered that IEC Ex certification, which complies with the ISO 5system, is a superior form of approval, and that ATEX is not regardedin the same light, as it involves “self certification”. It is true to saythat under the ATEX 94/9/EC Directive it is possible for manufacturersto have Category 3 (Zone 2) apparatus certified when the type testingwas not carried out, and the corresponding test reports were notwritten by an independent third party Ex Notified Body. In such caseshowever, a third party Ex Notified Body is still required to provide theATEX Certificate of Conformity, but the responsibility for the safety of

the product rests entirely with the manufacturer. Many manufacturerschoose to have type tests conducted by the Ex Notified Body, so it isnot possible to generalise and say that all Category 3, Zone 2products certified under the requirements of the ATEX 94/9/Ecdirective are “self certified”. Furthermore, this method of certificationcannot be applied to Category 1 (Zone 0) or Category 2 (Zone 1)apparatus. The method of certification allowed for Zone 2 (Category3) apparatus is not a new idea, this has been the case before theATEX directive became a compulsory force in the EC, but because thepractice was already in existence for quite some time, and withoutany real difficulties being experienced, this was subsequentlyincluded within the parameters of ATEX.

Similarities between IEC Ex & ATEX Approval

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