What must be recorded in the Ex equipment register of an installation?
Abstract
For each Ex item: tag and location, the zone, EPL, gas group and temperature class required there, the full Ex marking, certificate number with any specific conditions of use, installation details, and its inspection, repair and replacement history (IEC 60079-14 and 60079-17).
For every Ex item the register should hold its tag and location, what the location requires (zone or EPL, gas or dust group, temperature class), what the item actually is (full Ex marking, certificate number and any specific conditions of use), how it is installed, and its inspection, repair and replacement history. No standard prescribes a document called "Ex register", but IEC 60079-17 and IEC 60079-14 require exactly this information to be kept up to date, and a register is the usual way to hold it.
Short answer
- IEC 60079-17 requires up-to-date documentation for inspection and maintenance: zone classification and required EPL, required equipment group and temperature class (or maximum surface temperature for dust), equipment characteristics such as temperature rating, type of protection, IP rating and corrosion resistance, records sufficient to maintain each item (for example a list and location of equipment, spares, certificates and technical information), and copies of previous inspection records.
- IEC 60079-14 requires a verification dossier for every installation, kept on the premises or elsewhere with a note on site saying who holds it and where.
- The identification system must be able to track replacements, because a repaired or replacement item may carry a different marking from the original.
- Paper or electronic form are both acceptable; national law decides which forms are legally accepted.
What each entry should contain
| Group | Fields | Why it is needed |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Tag number, description, plant area, drawing or loop reference, serial number | Finds the item and links it to drawings |
| Location requirement | Zone or required EPL, gas group or dust group, temperature class or maximum surface temperature, ambient range, external influences (corrosion, UV, vibration) | The yardstick the item is checked against |
| Equipment as installed | Full Ex marking (for example Ex db IIB T4 Gb), type of protection, IP rating, rated ambient range | Shows the item meets the requirement |
| Certification | Certificate number and issue, scheme (IECEx, ATEX or national), "X" specific conditions of use and how each is met on site | Specific conditions are easy to lose once installed |
| Installation | Cable type, cable entry devices and blanking elements with their certificates, earthing and bonding, protective devices and settings | Entry devices and protection are part of the safety case |
| Intrinsic safety | Descriptive system document reference, associated apparatus, cable parameters (capacitance, inductance, length), earthing point | Needed to verify the loop at each inspection |
| Inspection | Grade (visual, close, detailed), date, inspector, findings, defects closed, next due date | Supports the interval and grade chosen |
| Changes | Repairs and overhauls (repair report, "R" marking), modifications, replacements, relocations | Shows the item is still the certified product |
For intrinsically safe systems IEC 60079-17 lists the minimum documentation explicitly: circuit safety documents, manufacturer, equipment type and certificate numbers, level of protection, group and temperature class, electrical parameters and cable data, special certificate requirements with the way they are met, and the physical location of each item.
For dust hazards IEC 60079-14 asks for the material characteristics to be recorded: electrical resistivity, minimum ignition temperature of the cloud and of the layer, and minimum ignition energy of the cloud.
How the register fits with the other documents
The register is the equipment part of a larger set. The verification dossier also holds the area classification drawings, the installation instructions, the documents for equipment with specific conditions of use, the intrinsic safety descriptive system documents, calculations such as purge rates, repair information and the records of cable entry selection. In the EU, the Explosion Protection Document required by Directive 1999/92/EC must show that work equipment is designed, operated and maintained with due regard for safety, and the register is usually the evidence behind that statement.
In the restructured IEC 60079-14:2024 (edition 6), documentation is a separate clause with subclauses on site information, Ex equipment information, installation information and personnel competency, and the edition adds informative initial inspection tables taken from IEC 60079-17. The current IEC 60079-17 is the 2023 edition (edition 6). Check the current clause wording when writing a site procedure.
Example: Entry for a pump motor in Zone 1: tag P-101-M, pump bay 3, drawing HA-03; required EPL Gb, IIA, T3, ambient -20 to +40 °C. Installed: Ex eb IIC T3 Gb, IP55, certificate number with an "X" condition, and the site record that shows how the condition is met; overload relay setting checked against the marked tE time. Cable entries: two certified Ex e glands, one certified blanking element. Last inspection: close, March, no defects. Rewound in 2024 by a repair facility under IEC 60079-19, repair report attached, "R" label fitted.
Common mistakes
- Recording only the tag and model. Without the required zone, group and temperature class next to the actual marking, the register cannot show suitability.
- Losing the "X" conditions. The certificate condition and the site measure that meets it both belong in the entry.
- Not updating after a swap. A replacement with a different marking or certificate makes the old entry false.
- Keeping inspection results outside the register. The interval and grade of periodic inspection must be justified from previous results.
Related on excodex
- Inspection of Ex installations under IEC 60079-17: initial, periodic, visual, close and detailed
- Ex installation basics under IEC 60079-14
- What documents must be kept for a hazardous area installation?
- What does the 'R' marking on repaired Ex equipment mean?
- Tool: Ex marking check
Standards and further reading
- IEC 60079-17:2023, inspection and maintenance of electrical installations, public preview: cdn.standards.iteh.ai; documentation and traceability clauses in the 2007 text (IS/IEC 60079-17:2007): law.resource.org
- IEC 60079-14:2024, electrical installations design, selection and installation, preview: cdn.standards.iteh.ai; verification dossier list in the 2007 text (AS/NZS 60079.14:2009): archive.org
- Directive 1999/92/EC, minimum requirements for workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres (Article 8, explosion protection document): legislation.gov.uk
This article is general technical information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable standards, the equipment certificates and instructions, national regulations or the assessment of a competent person.