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EDWartens UK

Free course · Instrumentation

Hazardous Areas: Ex Equipment, Zones and Inspection

Work safely and competently with electrical and instrument equipment where gas, vapour or dust can explode: gas groups and temperature classes, zones and classification drawings, EPLs and Ex marking, Ex d, e, n, i, p, m, q and t, the intrinsic safety entity calculation, cable glands, IEC 60079-17 inspection, and permits and gas testing. It covers the knowledge base of CompEx units Ex01 to Ex04.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Intermediate
Modules
12
Video
23 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain how an explosion starts and how each protection concept prevents one; place a gas or dust in its group and choose a temperature class; read and question a hazardous area classification drawing; decode an ATEX or IECEx marking and match equipment to its zone; inspect and reassemble Ex d and Ex e equipment correctly, including obstruction distances and the tE check on Ex e motors; carry out an intrinsic safety entity calculation and find a loop's longest cable; select cable glands and stopping plugs; plan visual, close and detailed inspections to IEC 60079-17 and record and close the faults; and plan permits and gas testing for work in a classified area.

  • Place a gas or dust in its group and choose a temperature class below its ignition temperature
  • Read zones 0, 1, 2 and 20, 21, 22 and question a classification drawing
  • Decode ATEX and IECEx markings and match the EPL to the zone
  • Inspect Ex d flame paths and obstruction distances, and Ex e terminations and motors
  • Do an intrinsic safety entity calculation and find a loop's longest cable
  • Select cable glands and stopping plugs for Ex d, Ex e and Ex i entries
  • Plan visual, close and detailed inspections to IEC 60079-17 and close out the faults
  • Plan permits and gas testing for work in a classified area

Software

A spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc) for the entity calculator and the inspection checklists. Vendor intrinsic safety loop calculators are useful optional checks.

Hardware

None. Photographs of Ex equipment from your own plant make the inspection practice real, but the notes give worked examples for every task.

Syllabus

12 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1Explosive atmospheres: the fire triangle, gas groups and temperature classes8 lessons
  2. 2Area classification: zones 0, 1, 2 and 20, 21, 2210 lessons
  3. 3Making the classification drawings: sources, ventilation and extents4 lessons
  4. 4EPLs, ATEX, IECEx and reading the marking plate11 lessons
  5. 5Ex d flameproof: flame paths, gaps, glands and maintenance6 lessons
  6. 6Ex e increased safety and Ex n3 lessons
  7. 7Ex i intrinsic safety: barriers, isolators and the entity calculation7 lessonsLab
  8. 8Ex p, Ex m, Ex q, Ex t and non-electrical equipment5 lessons
  9. 9Cable glands, cables and installation to IEC 60079-145 lessons
  10. 10Inspection and maintenance: IEC 60079-17 grades and checklists5 lessons
  11. 11Permits, gas testing and working safely in classified areas6 lessons
  12. 12Final Assessment2 lessons

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Check a 4 to 20 mA transmitter loop from the field to the PLC and fill in the loop check sheet, the same record an intrinsically safe loop needs.

Works alongside Hazardous Areas: Ex Equipment, Zones and Inspection. The Lab is process control practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
Process control: Tune a real process loop.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Hazardous Areas: Ex Equipment, Zones and Inspection

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • BARTEC

    the ExPP explosion protection awareness series: explosive atmospheres, explosion prevention, the fire triangle, area classification, protection concepts, gas groups, temperature codes, marking strings, roles, personnel competence, regulators and standards, certification, and IEC 60079-14 design, inspection, maintenance and testing; plus two short explosion protection basics lessons used in the final review

  • Hazcon

    the short lessons on zones 0, 1, 2, 20, 21 and 22, class and division against zones, dust atmospheres, temperature class against auto-ignition temperature, IECEx and reading IECEx markings, explosion proof against flameproof, pressure piling, Ex e, Ex p, intrinsic safety and IS grounding, and non-electrical equipment

  • IndEx - Ex Professionals

    the long webinars: Ex d in depth, Ex n parts 1 and 2, Ex q, Ex t, ingress protection, IP washers and glands, and Ex industry myths; the Aragas hazardous area classification webinars; and the Ex d test clips

  • Jon Hichens insightEx

    short lessons on T classes, IECEx, ATEX, flameproof Ex d, Ex m, cold flow in cables, the Annex C test and the 2024 installation standard

  • Engineering Institute of Technology

    the hour-long introduction to hazardous areas and their classification

  • eFunda Engineers

    designing hazardous area classification drawings

  • Sigma-HSE

    the short overview of hazardous area classification

  • eFIXX

    ATEX fundamentals for electrical installations

  • GM International

    the webinar comparing zener barriers and IS isolators

  • The Reynolds Company

    the TechTalk on intrinsic safety barriers, signal conditioners and entity parameters

  • Phoenix Contact USA

    the principle of intrinsic safety

  • R. STAHL

    frequently asked questions on intrinsically safe loops

  • Beamex

    running ATEX and IEC 60079 maintenance inspections from a mobile device

  • US Chemical Safety Board (USCSB)

    the safety video on the dangers of hot work

  • Will On Safety

    the introduction to permit to work systems

  • HSE Insights

    permit issuer and permit receiver responsibilities

  • Forensics Detectors

    what a bump test on a gas detector is

Questions

About this course

Who is this hazardous area course for?
Electrical and instrument technicians, engineers and inspectors, and diploma and engineering graduates heading for oil and gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals or power plants, in the Gulf, the North Sea and elsewhere. You should know basic circuits and Ohm's law; no hazardous area experience is needed.
Does this course prepare me for CompEx?
It covers the knowledge base of CompEx units Ex01 to Ex04 (installing and inspecting Ex d, e, n, p and i equipment in gas atmospheres) and prepares you for that kind of assessment. It is not CompEx training and does not award a CompEx certificate: CompEx and IECEx are third-party schemes, and only their approved centres can assess and certify you.
Which standards does it follow?
The IEC 60079 series: 60079-10-1 and 60079-10-2 for classification, 60079-0 and the protection-type parts for equipment, 60079-14 for installation, 60079-17 for inspection and 60079-19 for repair, plus the ATEX directives and the IECEx scheme. Standards are paraphrased, never reproduced.
Do I need any software or equipment?
No. A spreadsheet is enough for the entity calculator and the inspection checklists. Photographs of real Ex equipment make the inspection practice more realistic, but the notes give every value you need.
How long does the course take?
About 23 hours of video lessons, notes and practice at your own pace; the videos alone are about 15.7 hours. The optional project, an intrinsic safety loop check and a detailed inspection of three Ex devices, takes about 8 hours more.
Is the course free to learn?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the project and the final assessment are free. The only paid item is the certificate, if you want it.
What certificate do I get?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a number anyone can verify on our site. It is a certificate of completion, not a CompEx, IECEx or ATEX competence certificate.
What jobs does it lead to?
E&I technician, Ex inspector, instrument and electrical maintenance and commissioning roles in oil and gas, refineries, petrochemicals and gas processing, including the many Gulf roles that ask for hazardous area knowledge. Go on to Safety Instrumented Systems and SIL to IEC 61511, or Instrument Calibration, Loop Checks and Commissioning.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module