ATEX
The ATEX directives: equipment for explosive atmospheres
Updated 2026
ATEX refers to two EU directives governing equipment and workplaces where explosive atmospheres may occur. For personnel tracking, what matters is that any device taken into a classified zone must carry the correct ATEX rating for that zone, which is why hazardous-area tags are intrinsically safe and marked to a specific equipment category.
- 1. European Commission
- 2. ATEX 2014/34/EU
- 3. IEC 60079
Equipment categories and zones
ATEX equipment is grouped into categories that map to the zone in which it may be used. Category 1 equipment is suitable for Zone 0 (explosive atmosphere present continuously or for long periods); Category 2 for Zone 1; Category 3 for Zone 2.
Selecting the right category for the zone is the operator's responsibility and is confirmed during site scoping.
What 'intrinsically safe' means
Intrinsic safety is a protection technique that limits the electrical and thermal energy a device can release, so it cannot ignite an explosive atmosphere even under fault conditions. Intrinsically safe tags let personnel-tracking systems operate inside classified zones without introducing an ignition risk.
Robin Hind
Managing Director, Res.Digital
Robin Hind is Managing Director of Res.Digital, the technology company behind The Salvus Network. He leads the team building the platform and works directly with the industrial, construction and high-risk sites that use it to account for their people, assets and emergency response in real time.
Connect on LinkedInFrequently asked questions
Do all tracking tags need to be ATEX rated?+
Only safety tags used inside classified hazardous zones need an ATEX rating appropriate to that zone. Safety tags in non-classified areas do not.
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