One document, many names
- European Union: the explosion protection document of Article 8 of Directive 1999/92/EC, often called the ATEX 153 document (formerly ATEX 137) after the Treaty article that is the legal basis for workplace directives; ATEX 114 is the equipment directive, 2014/34/EU.
- Germany: Explosionsschutzdokument, part of the risk assessment under § 6(9) of the Gefahrstoffverordnung, with the TRGS 720 series as the technical rules. Austria: Explosionsschutzdokument under § 5 VEXAT, with the Ex-Zonenplan. Switzerland: the same document under the Accident Prevention Ordinance (VUV) and Suva guidance 2153.
- United Kingdom: the DSEAR risk assessment and its record of significant findings (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, regulation 5), with the hazardous area classification under regulation 7; there is no separate explosion protection document in Great Britain. Ireland: the explosion protection document under Regulation 169, Part 8 of the General Application Regulations 2007, with the zones under Regulation 170 and Schedule 10.
- Netherlands: explosieveiligheidsdocument (EVD) under article 3.5c of the Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit, written as part of the RI&E. Denmark: the ATEX workplace risk assessment (ATEX-APV), part of the employer's APV, with the classification plan (klassifikationsplan).
- Türkiye: Patlamadan Korunma Dokümanı (PKD) under Article 10 of the 2013 regulation that transposes the directive, with the zones under Article 9 and Annex 1.
- United States: no explosion protection document as such. For combustible dusts, NFPA 660 (2025 edition, formerly NFPA 652) requires a dust hazard analysis (DHA) led by a qualified person, reviewed at least every five years; for flammable gases and vapours, area classification to NFPA 497 and NEC Articles 500 to 504 (the Division system); zone classification under Article 505 requires a registered Professional Engineer's supervision.
- Gulf states and North Africa: no ATEX-type statute; owners' standards and, for permits, the civil defence authorities ask for hazardous area classification studies and explosion risk assessments, and expect equipment certified to IECEx or ATEX.
What the document must contain
- The assessment of the explosion risk: which substances, where and under which conditions an explosive atmosphere can form, how likely it is, which ignition sources are present and what the consequences would be.
- The classification of the hazardous areas into zones, with drawings, and the equipment requirement for each zone.
- The technical measures: prevention of explosive atmospheres, avoidance of ignition sources, mitigation of effects.
- The organisational measures: training, permits to work, marking, inspection and maintenance, coordination between employers sharing a site.
- The evidence: calculations, certificates, inspection records; and the revision rule after changes.
- A DHA under NFPA 660 asks the same questions for combustible dusts, process step by process step, and ends with recommendations and a schedule.
Who prepares it, who signs it
- In the EU, the UK, Ireland and Türkiye the document belongs to the employer. The law requires competence, not a licence; an employer may have the document prepared by an external engineer and adopt it. Our reports are signed by the responsible engineer and can be verified by QR code; your competent person or consultant reviews and adopts them.
- In the United States a DHA is led and signed by a qualified person, so we work as a subcontractor to your consultant: worksheets, calculations and the draft report in your template, marked "prepared by Axosfer".
- In the Gulf states, filings with the authorities go through a locally licensed consultant, who adopts and signs; we prepare the engineering behind the filing.
- What we prepare does not replace the checks your country requires on site before first use: for example the verification under DSEAR regulation 7(4) in Great Britain, Regulation 170(2) in Ireland, § 7 VEXAT in Austria, article 3.5e of the Arbobesluit in the Netherlands, or the inspection by an authorised person in Germany. Those are done on site by a competent person on your side; our report lists what they should check.
- In every case the division of responsibility is written in the proposal and repeated on the report's cover.
Three ways we help
- Review your existing document. Every source of release recalculated, differences marked as defensible assumptions or errors, findings ranked; see the independent review page.
- Prepare the document from your documents. Hazardous area classification, ignition source assessment to EN 1127-1 and EN ISO 80079-36, the measures and the action plan, in the structure your country's rules expect, with your team collecting what the drawings do not show.
- Support your consultant. Calculations, zone drawings and draft chapters in your consultant's template, for their review and signature; see the consultancy support and DHA support pages.
Where our work stops
- We do not visit sites outside Türkiye; what has to be checked on site is listed, and your team or a local partner checks it with our checklist.
- We do not sign filings that the law reserves for a locally licensed person, and we do not certify equipment.
- We do not replace your own competent person: the document remains the employer's, and someone on your side has to own it and keep it up to date.
How it works
Tell us the country and the plant
Within one working day we say which document applies, who has to sign it in your case, and which of the three ways fits.
Free first look and fixed price
Send what you have; we send our first observations and a fixed-price offer.
Work and draft
Classification, assessment and measures, with questions to your team on record.
Report and one round of questions
The signed report with the verification page, in your or your consultant's structure.
Scope, fees and timeline
| Item | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Review of an existing document | 5–10 working days |
| Preparation from your documents, one production area | 3–4 weeks |
| Support for your consultant | 2–5 working days |
We send a fixed-price offer within one working day of seeing your documents. The price depends on the number of sources of release, the documents and drawings available, and the scope you choose; there are no hourly rates. Quotations exclude taxes.
Basis of our work. Our assessments are based on the documents, drawings and data you provide. On-site verification remains the client's responsibility unless the proposal says otherwise. Every report lists the documents it relies on and the assumptions made where information was missing.
Frequently asked questions
Which name applies to us?
The one your country's rules use; the content is the same. If your group has plants in several countries, we can write one document to the group standard and map it to each national requirement in an annex.
Can you prepare the document for our plant in Germany or the UK?
Yes, from your documents and your team's photos and measurements. The document remains the employer's; your competent person or consultant reviews and adopts it. Where German is needed, draft sections, the executive summary and the measures can be provided in German, marked as a technical translation.
Is a dust hazard analysis the same as ATEX dust zoning?
No. A DHA follows the process step by step and looks at fire, flash fire and explosion hazards together; ATEX dust zoning classifies areas by the likelihood of an explosive dust atmosphere. A plant with combustible dusts in the EU needs the zoning; a US plant needs the DHA; a group with both usually wants the two reconciled, which we do.
Do you need to visit our site?
For a plant that exists, someone has to look at it. Outside Türkiye that someone is your team or a local partner, with our checklist; the report states what was verified on site and what was not. In Türkiye we visit.
Our authority in the Gulf asks for a hazardous area classification study. Can you do it?
Yes; the study is prepared to IEC 60079-10-1 and -10-2 or to your owner's standard, and your locally licensed consultant adopts and signs it for the filing. Send us the authority's requirement and we prepare the study to it.
Who prepares and signs the report?
Axosfer prepares the report. It is checked and signed by the responsible engineer, a chemical engineer specialised in explosion protection, and every page can be verified by QR code.