Oil and gas electronics play a pivotal role in maintaining operational efficiency, monitoring systems and ensuring on-site safety. These devices are frequently exposed to dangerous conditions, such as extreme temperatures, corrosive substances and potentially explosive environments.

In fact, the oil and gas sector is one of the most demanding and hazardous industries worldwide.

From offshore oil and gas platforms to refineries and storage facilities, the potential for accidents is high due to the volatile nature of hydrocarbons. Ensuring safety in these explosive environments is not just a regulatory requirement but a critical priority to protect workers, equipment and the environment.

For oil and gas equipment manufacturers, selecting intrinsically safe devices — designed to minimise the risk of sparks or heat that could ignite flammable materials — is essential. To meet these safety standards, electronics manufacturers must comply with stringent regulations like the ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU.

What is ATEX?

ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU is a European regulation that ensures equipment used in explosive environments meets rigorous safety standards. The directive governs the design, manufacturing and use of equipment in environments where flammable gases, vapours, dust or mists could ignite and cause catastrophic incidents.

The ATEX standard applies to all equipment and protective systems intended for use in explosive environments. This includes oil and gas electronics, such as sensors, communication devices and control systems.

To achieve ATEX certification, electronics manufacturers must demonstrate their products are designed to eliminate or minimise ignition risks. This often involves adhering to the intrinsically safe meaning, which defines products designed to operate without producing sparks or excessive heat, even in fault conditions.

The directive also categorises explosive environments into zones based on the likelihood of a hazardous atmosphere being present. For example:

  • Zone 0: continuous risk of explosion.
  • Zone 1: occasional risk during normal operations.
  • Zone 2: rare risk during abnormal operations.

Electronics manufacturers must consider these zones when designing intrinsically safe products.

Products must undergo rigorous testing and quality assurance before receiving ATEX certification. Ongoing compliance, including documentation and audits, ensures safety throughout the product life cycle.

Choosing an electronics manufacturer for ATEX compliance

Whether on offshore oil and gas platforms or land-based sites, using ATEX-certified equipment is non-negotiable when it comes to ensuring safety.

Working with an experienced electronics manufacturer is essential to help oil and gas equipment manufacturers meet these demanding requirements. The ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU plays a vital role in ensuring compliance and protection in explosive environments. ATEX-certified oil and gas electronics manufacturers can implement intrinsically safe designs to create products that safeguard both operations and safety.

At EC Electronics, we understand the complexities of electronics manufacturing for the oil and gas sector.

We have extensive experience with the component suppliers and quality management systems required to support manufacturing ATEX-certified electronics. EC Electronics is officially certified to EN ISO/IEC 80079-34:2018 standards in line with IECEx and ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU, ensuring all electronic equipment we manufacture for potentially explosive environments is subject to rigorous testing.

For four decades, our reputation has been built on exceeding our customers’ expectations. We maintain this commitment to quality by investing in our people, our infrastructure, and our technical competence — all of which are supported by our quality assurance certifications, such as the ATEX standard.