HAZARDOUS AREA EQUIPMENT FEATURE
and stimulate the production of a corresponding ISO or IEC document. All standards are readily available for anybody to purchase and comply with. Will the UK be able to have input into the ATEX directives? Fortunately ATEX directives are quite mature now and after 20 years have just had some minor updates. The UK took part in the consultation process and provided technical and procedural input during the review to produce the updated ATEX 2014/34/EU. We may not officially be able to attend future consultations, or have any MEP’s to comment on new directives. However, hopefully the UK voice would also be heard through international federations and UK international companies with representation in the EU. Will the UK still be able to have input
into the European and international standards? Generally, as these standards become available or go through a maintenance update, they are harmonised into the European standards CEN or Cenelec for IEC electrical standards. These standards are then adopted by EU member states (in the UK they are adopted as a British Standard). Occasionally, there will be notes at the beginning of a standard for local requirements, these can be numerous in some countries, but are becoming unusual in the UK. Generally, we are very well represented on standards committees and any problems we foresee in a standard are normally solved at the committee stage. Standards are not a legal requirement, but they normally help manufacturers and users meet their legal obligations. They also create a high standard of best practice for products, create a level playing field for products entering a market and a standardisation of products produced for that market. Will our notified bodies for potentially
explosive atmospheres retain EU notified body status after Brexit? This is an important issue. The EU has 67 notified bodies in this segment. Eight of them are in the UK, compared to 12 in Germany, 10 in Italy, six in Poland, and three in Turkey. Other EU members such as France have two, one, or no notified bodies. Turkey is perhaps the exception that proves the rule, which may help Brexit negotiations. Turkey is not a member of EFTA, but the decision was issued by the Customs Union Joint Committee in document 2006/654/EC for “the elimination of technical barriers to trade in a particular product and facilitate the progress of Turkey’s application to join the EU”. This does ring alarm bells if we have declared that we are leaving the Customs Union. The current UK notified bodies will require a similar decision from the Customs Union Joint Committee to the one above. The UK do a large amount of business with European and international companies requiring certificates of conformity for ATEX. This includes products from America, China and internationally, as well as those manufactured anywhere within the EU. Manufacturers not only require new prototypes testing, but continually modify and update their products. If this is to continue in the UK after Brexit, the sooner a Joint Customs Union Committee agreement is reached to clarify the situation, the better. The UK notified bodies need to be at the front of the negotiation agenda once Brexit is formalised. There are 188 bodies
It is imperative that the UK Government ensures that Brexit
and a split from the Custom Union does not jeopardise the incredibly valuable work that these companies carry out internationally, and ensure that this industry
maintains its place on the world class stage...”
listed by the EU, who can test and issue certificates of conformity. These range from the UK accreditation company UKAS, to specialist companies like SGS Baseefa, an AEMT member. These bodies use their specific expertise to test for conformity with every mandatory directive, including ATEX, Machinery Directive, Marine Equipment Directive, and the Low Voltage Directive. The 188 bodies involved in testing and accreditation are world-class companies employing staff with very specialist technical abilities. Many of them stand on international standards committees and facilitate a huge amount of international trade in the oil, chemical and other industries. It is imperative that the UK Government ensures that Brexit and a split from the Customs Union does not jeopardise the incredibly valuable work that these companies carry out
internationally, and ensure that this
industry, maintains its place on the world-class stage. There are many active groups looking after the interests
of the industry who will continue to communicate with the marketplace about developments and changes, as well as providing sensible advice to government committees. The mechanisms are in place to
continue to ensure compliance does not become any more complex or onerous, and that our ability to do business successfully remains largely unaffected by this particular aspect of Brexit.
AEMT
www.theaemt.com
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING | JUNE 2017 19
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