Certification with highest protection classes
ATEX • IECEx • SIL • CSA • UL • GOST • RTN • IP66

ATEX is a commonly used synonym for the ATEX guidelines of the European Union. The name is derived from the French term ATmosphère EXplosive. The directive en- compasses explosion protection guidelines 94/9/EG for devices and 1999/92/EG for operations. ATEX guidelines are devised by the Director General of the EU commission Enterprise and Industry in cooperation with the member states, standardization organi- zations (CEN, CENELEC) and so called known organizations such as BAM, PTB, or TUEV to name examples from Germany.

IECEx is an internationally used process to certify electrical equipment used in hazar- dous locations. The code defines a system to classify locations prone to explosive atmospheres caused by gases, dusts, or fibers for example. The main goal of the International Electrotechnical Commission IEC with the IECEx regulation is to reach global harmonization of codes governing use of electrical apparatus in hazardous locations. IEC promotes mutual acceptance of evaluations and reports among the testing labs and certifying bodies.

SIL considers functional safety determine the potential risk for people, systems, de- vices and processes in case of a mal- function. Basis for the specification, design, and operation of safety instrumented sys- tems is IEC standard 61508. The goal is to assess the risk and to reduce it by use of suitable measures. The standard knows four levels, SIL 1-SIL 4, characterizing safety le- vels for electrical, electronic and programm- able electronic devices, often referred to as E/E/PE. The SIL level is a measure for the safety function in case of a fault and ans- wers the question:

• What is the probability of the system still functioning correctly in case of a fault?

CSA is a global provider of testing and certification services. CSA is also on the OSHA list of nationally recognized testing laboratories, NRTL.

UL is an independent organization testing and certifying product with regards to safety. UL tests and evaluates compliance of products, components, materials, and sys- tems against specific requirements. As a re- sult the UL mark can be carried as long as the standards are kept to. UL is one of the OSHA endorsed testing labs. OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Adminis- tration and maintains a list of labs called NRTL, short for nationally recognized testing laboratories.

GOST denotes a certification obligatory for goods to be imported to the Russian Federation. Compliance has to be evaluated and approved based on Russian standards. GOST certification is required for examples as follow:

• Food and food packaging
• Electronic devices
• Industrial plants and machinery
• Products used in the oil & gas industry
• Electronic and technical systems

RTN is short for „RosTekhNadzor“. RTN certificates are required in Russia for industrial processes involving hazardous materials and conditions and are required for the equipment used. RTN approves the use of the equipment. RTN approvals are generally necessary for example:

• for all equipment used in the Oil & Gas industry
• all equipment requiring explosion protection

IP66 stands for Ingress Protection and denotes the protection of the device against environmental factors, dust and rain for example, as well as protection of living beings against dangers of touching high voltage circuits for example. The first digit categorizes ingress of solid objects, the second ingress of water:

• IP6x = dust proof
• IPx6 = water jet proof
  (with specifies water pressure etc.)