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Handling technology in hazardous areas: applying ATEX correctly

In potentially explosive atmospheres, selecting a handling unit is not a catalogue exercise. It begins in the explosion protection document and ends only when zone, equipment category, temperature class and explosion group all match. Reverse that order and you order twice.

Author: Dr.-Ing. Philipp Schwittek
Reading time: 8 minutes
Updated: 28. August 2026

The key points

The zone is defined in the operator’s explosion protection document – not in a manufacturer’s catalogue.
The zone determines the equipment category under Directive 2014/34/EU.
Gas and dust atmospheres are considered separately: zones 0/1/2 against 20/21/22.
Pneumatic units are often the simpler route in hazardous areas because no electric drive sits in the field.
Static charge is the most frequently overlooked ignition source – dissipation belongs in the specification.

Zones: what they mean

Potentially explosive areas are classified by the probability with which a hazardous explosive atmosphere occurs. For gases, vapours and mists these are zones 0, 1 and 2; for combustible dusts, zones 20, 21 and 22. Zones 0 and 20 mean continuous or long-term occurrence and in practice usually concern the inside of vessels; in the working area where a manipulator stands, zones 1 and 2, or 21 and 22, are the normal case. The classification is made by the operator, not the supplier.

From zone to equipment category

Directive 2014/34/EU – colloquially ATEX – assigns equipment categories to zones. Simplified: zone 0 requires category 1, zone 1 category 2, zone 2 category 3; the same scheme applies to dusts with zones 20, 21 and 22. Added to that are the equipment group – II for areas other than mining –, the explosion group of the medium and the temperature class derived from the ignition temperature. Only these four together describe a unit unambiguously.

Why pneumatic is often the simpler answer

A pneumatically driven manipulator has no electric drive in the field and therefore one ignition source fewer. That considerably simplifies proof and documentation. The price: it needs compressed air in sufficient quantity and quality, and sensitivity depends more on the valve technology. Where electric operation is required we supply in the protection type approved for the zone – possible, but more involved and more expensive.

The overlooked ignition source: static charge

Mechanical ignition sources and hot surfaces appear in every specification. Electrostatic charge is often missing – yet in practice it is the most common. It arises when moving plastic parts, when filling bulk solids, at hoses and on painted surfaces. For handling equipment that means conductive or dissipative materials on every part in contact with the product or the operator, and a continuous path to earth. That belongs in the order, not in the commissioning.

What a sound enquiry contains

Six details are enough and save two weeks of questions: the zone at the unit location, whether gas or dust, explosion group and temperature class, the safety data sheets of the media involved, the handling task with weight and container type, and the available energy – compressed air with pressure and flow, or electricity. Everything else follows from that.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about ATEX & explosion protection

Who defines the ATEX zone?

The operator, in the explosion protection document required by hazardous substances legislation. The equipment supplier cannot determine it – they supply on the basis of the zone stated. Ordering explosion-protected equipment without that detail is ordering blind.

Which equipment category do I need for zone 1?

Category 2 of equipment group II. Zone 2 requires only category 3, zone 0 requires category 1. The same scheme applies to dusts with zones 21, 22 and 20. In addition, explosion group and temperature class must match the medium.

Are pneumatic manipulators automatically explosion-protected?

No. Pneumatics avoids the electrical ignition source, but mechanically generated sparks, hot surfaces and static charge still have to be assessed. A pneumatic unit equally requires assessment and marking under 2014/34/EU – the proof is simply easier.

Can existing units be retrofitted?

Rarely economically. Explosion protection affects materials, bearings, surfaces and dissipation paths – hard to establish after the fact. In most cases a unit in an explosion-protected version is cheaper than the conversion.

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