Information Sheets

In the majority of circumstances, complying with the ATEX Directive involves obtaining a QA Notification from a Notified Body. This page explains the basic process.

Required Actions    

1. Complete an Application Form QAN1 and return it to us. This provides the information we need to be able to give you a quote 
2. If we need more information, we will get in touch. We will give you a quote which will set out the cost of both the initial work and the ongoing surveillance.   
3. You will need to refer to EN 13980 and make any necessary changes to include its requirements in your QA System. We will provide a guidance checklist. This will let you know what documents we need to see. We can give further help at this stage, if necessary.
4. The next step is for you to send us a copy of your Quality System documentation. We will check that it includes the necessary requirements for the products concerned. 
5. If there is any need to change the documentation, we will contact you and discuss the situation.
6. When the documentation is OK, and at a time when any related product certification work is at a suitable stage, we will agree a date for an initial assessment visit. 
7. We will correspond with you regarding any problems the assessment may raise. Our aim will be to resolve these by correspondence, but in the event of more serious concerns a further visit could be required and we will agree any costs before proceeding. 
8. Once any non-conformities raised during the assessment have been cleared, we will issue the QA Notification.
9. The first surveillance visit will normally take place between 6 and 12 months after the issue of the Notification.

 Further information:

• There are product categories that do not require a QA Notification, or any such involvement from a Notified Body. We can advise on this.
  
• There is an alternative procedure for one-off products or small and infrequent batches. Ask us about Product Verification, if you think this may be relevant.
  
• The requirements for IECEx QA are more or less identical to ATEX. If you have ATEX QA Notification, we can also provide an IECEx QA Report.
  
• If you do not have a copy of EN 13980, you can download the IECEx equivalent (OD 005 from www.iecex.com) which will let you see the requirements.