ATEX / EEx equipment service process map

What is in this map

15 steps across 5 swimlanes and 5 phases, with 2 decision points.

Swimlanes (who does the work)

ServiceDesk, Field Electrical, ATEX / EEx Specialist, QA / Compliance and Customer

Phases (left to right)

Identification & certification, Isolation & inspection, Service / repair, Compliance & testing and Documentation & return

Why map this process

Explosion-protected equipment is only as safe as its certification matches its as-found condition, and this map's first real decision enforces that literally: a nameplate marking, protection type, gas or dust group and temperature class that can't be confirmed against the equipment routes to a HALT row, not a visual best guess. The halt row's own comment is careful to say the job is held, not written off — service resumes once the gap is actually resolved, with certification re-verified from scratch rather than assumed fixed.

The enclosure-compliance decision near the end carries the same weight in the other direction: it checks flamepath gaps, gasket condition and fastener torque against the manufacturer's actual tolerances, because the comment states plainly that a missing gasket or an under-torqued fastener defeats the protection exactly as surely as an uncertified nameplate does. Two different failure modes, same consequence, and the map gives each one its own gate rather than one general 'inspection passed' box.

Every step in the map

This is the spreadsheet behind the diagram. The numbers in “Goes to” are row numbers, which is exactly what the editor’s “Line to” column holds — so you can read the flow here and retype any part of it.

The decision points

Every branch in the map, with the label on each outgoing line. These are the questions the process has to be able to answer.

• 4. ATEX/EEx certification **current** and matches equipment?

  Owned by ATEX / EEx Specialist · Identification & certification

  • Certification confirmed → step 6
  • Certification missing or invalid → step 5

• 9. Enclosure restored to **EEx compliance** (gaskets, torque, flamepath gaps)?

  Owned by ATEX / EEx Specialist · Compliance & testing

  • Compliant → step 11
  • Non-conforming → step 10

Notes on specific steps

These notes travel with the map. In the editor they live in the Notes column and appear when you open a box.

1. EEx equipment service request received

Customer reports a fault or requests scheduled service on equipment already installed and certified in a classified hazardous area. The zone and the equipment's as-installed certification are confirmed before anything downstream is scheduled.

4. ATEX/EEx certification **current** and matches equipment?

Current means the nameplate ATEX/IECEx marking, protection type, gas or dust group and temperature class still match the equipment's as-found condition, and any prior modification is documented. A marking that cannot be confirmed against the equipment routes to Halt rather than a visual best guess.

5. **Halt** job, request missing certification or documentation

The job is held, not written off. Service resumes once the manufacturer's declaration of conformity, a replacement nameplate record, or the customer's own equipment file resolves the gap, and certification is verified again from scratch.

7. Inspect enclosure, flamepaths, gaskets and cable entries

Photographed and measured before the enclosure is disturbed further, so the as-found flamepath gaps, gasket condition and cable entry seals are on record if a defect surfaces later in the job.

9. Enclosure restored to **EEx compliance** (gaskets, torque, flamepath gaps)?

Checked against the manufacturer's flamepath gap tolerance, gasket condition and the specified fastener torque values, not a general close-up look. A missing gasket, an under-torqued fastener or a flamepath gap outside tolerance defeats the protection exactly as surely as an uncertified nameplate does.

Making it yours

Phases (Identification & certification, Isolation & inspection, Service/repair, Compliance & testing, Documentation & return) run Horizontal lane; the five roles, with ATEX/EEx Specialist as its own lane distinct from Field Electrical, run Vertical lane. When you adapt the certification-verification row, keep its Notes naming the exact document set you accept as proof (manufacturer's declaration of conformity, a replacement nameplate record, the customer's own equipment file) — that's the list the halt row's loop actually resolves against.

What to watch out for

• Don't skip photographing and measuring the as-found enclosure condition before disturbing it further. The inspect-enclosure row's comment is specific about why: if a defect surfaces later in the job, the as-found flamepath gaps, gasket condition and cable-entry seals need to already be on record, not reconstructed from memory.
• Keep the compliance decision's tolerance checks (flamepath gap, gasket, torque) as named items rather than a single 'looks fine' pass. The row's own comment lists them because each is a distinct way the protection rating gets defeated, and a generic close-up look catches fewer of them than a checklist against the manufacturer's actual figures.
• Don't return equipment to operation before the compliance certificate has the customer's own sign-off. The map places customer review before de-isolation for a reason: the customer's compliance obligation for that equipment doesn't transfer back to them silently just because the job is considered finished.

Frequently asked questions