Carrying out a risk explosion assessment is a requirement indroduced by ATEX Directive 99/92/CE and transposed to the domestic legislation in EU Member states, in particular via article R4227-46 of the Fair labour standards act.
The assessment and treatment of potentially explosive atmospheres is based on :
The probability of occurrence of an explosive atmosphere,
The probability of ignition of the explosive atmosphere,
The extent of the foreseeable consequences..
Requirements
Risk explosion assessment is a requirement introduced by ATEX Directive 99/92/EC and transposed to domestic legislation in EU Member states, in particular via article R4227-46 of the Fair labour standards act.
In addition, the employer is held to subdivide into zones the areas in which explosive atmospheres can occur (article R4227-50 of the Fair labour standards act): These areas are defined in section 1 of the Decree of 8 July 2003 on the protection of workers exposed to explosion hazards:
Flammable gases and vapours: zones 0, 1 and 2
Combustible dust: zones 20, 21 and 22
As such, employers are obliged to formalise the assessment and classification of potentially explosive atmosphere areas (ATEX) in the document relating to protection against explosions (DRPE) (article R4227-52 of the Fair labour standards act)..
Assess the explosion risks: the assessment is conducted for each risk of explosion, based on 5 parameters assessed using rating scales developed with reference to the regulation, recommendations, and feedback