Inspections of ATEX-classified equipment are a recurring occurrence in many industrial facilities. Any equipment used in production facilities classified as explosive must meet the requirements of the classification and be safe. Good software makes these ATEX inspections that are important for the safety of people, machines, property, and the environment easier.
Industrial production often involves the use of flammable liquids and gases, which when mixed with air may form explosive mixtures. Solid dust may also be an explosive substance, which must be taken into account in the classification of premises and in the choice of equipment. The equipment at the production site must meet the requirements of the ATEX Equipment Directive, which is verified both upon commissioning and during periodic maintenance and inspections.
A single industrial plant can have thousands or even tens of thousands of different devices that are subject to ATEX periodic inspections. When information about the equipment is available in the information system used by the facility, it is easy to verify its compliance with the regular and periodic inspections required by the authorities.
The ATEX data of the equipment should be added to the information system at the latest during the commissioning check. The information will then be available and accessible to all users of the system, who must know and be familiar with matters relating to ATEX-classified facilities and equipment and, where necessary, be able to verify the accuracy of the information.
The best scenario is when the data is added to the system in the design stage of the plant already. ATEX data is then in the system from the very beginning, along with other information that is important for the plant's equipment and features. They no longer need to be added separately afterwards. ATEX safety is thus part of the plant's overall safety concept starting from the design stage.
ALMA is a good system for processing ATEX data, as it can also be used to manage all other data that is important for the plant's equipment and production. If ALMA has been used in the electrical and automation design of the plant and in the maintenance of design data for mechanical equipment, all the information important for maintenance and service has already been entered into the system. The solution for industrial equipment data and maintenance is thus also an ATEX solution.
ALMA has many distinctive features that can be seamlessly integrated with each other. In ALMA, data processing capacity will not be running out. As a SaaS service, ALMA is even easier to use and hassle-free for the customer, as Vitec ALMA entirely handles the updating and maintenance of the information system.
If you would like to hear more about ALMA and its ATEX features, please contact Toni Penttilä.