CompEx Certification Body

3rd Floor Rewither Tower

Redwither Business Park
Wrexham LL13 9XT
L I M I T E D

UK

The Global Solution for International

Competency Assessment and
Certification of electrotechnical,

CompEx Customer Services

Tel: +44 (0)1978 665410

mechanical practitioners and

Application Design Engineers

Email: info@compex.org.uk
Website: www.compex.org.uk

Explosive atmospheres occur in onshore and

offshore petrochemical plants and refining plants.
They are also found in distilleries, paint spraying
plants, flourmills, woodworking machine plants,
the water industry and fuel forecourt
environments. Failure to ensure safe working
practices in these circumstances could result in
the ignition of explosive gases or dust clouds
leading to injury or even fatalities.

JTL901 Rev7 08/15

working in explosive atmospheres

Established in 1994, the Certification Body is now approved as a UKAS

Accredited Certification Body Number 0270. Over 60,000 candidates have
been successful in obtaining CompEx Certificates of Core Competency.

www.compex.org.uk
CompEx is a competency initiative,
based upon the IEC Standards jointly
developed by the Engineering
Equipment Materials Users
Association (EMMUA) and JTL, the
leading work-based learning provider to
the building services engineering sector.
Established in 1994, the CompEx
Certification Body is now accredited to
ISO/IEC 17024:2012 Conformity
assessment - General requirements for bodies operating
certification of persons as a UKAS Accredited
Certification Body No 0270. Over 60,000 candidates
have been successful in obtaining CompEx Certificates of
Core Competency.
There is an international network of over 50 JTLimited
approved assessment centres that provides CompEx
competency validation all around the coast in the UK and
at overseas centres in Houston US, Ireland, Holland,
Norway, Poland, North Africa, Nigeria, South Africa,
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Qatar, Iraq, UAE, Oman,
India, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Philippines and
Indonesia. No matter where you are in the world, there is
always a centre within reach. The course includes all
instruction and assessments and, upon success, candidates
will receive a CompEx Certificate of Core Competence.
There are also centres operating mobile facilities for Ex F
& Ex01 - Ex04 which can be transported anywhere in the
world. We now have the first mechanical core
competence course Ex11 as well as Ex12; a professional
application design engineer course. In Q4 2015 we will
be launching the new Ex14 module Responsible Persons.
The CompEx scheme is taking a lead role in providing
employers with the facility to prove the core competence of
their electrical / instrumentation practitioners and application
design engineers as well as mechanical personnel and
responsible persons who work in explosive atmospheres.

Whats available?
The CompEx course currently consists of 14 instruction
and assessment units. These units can be studied
individually or as complementary pairs.

These units are:

Gas & Vapour Modules
01 Preparation & Installation of Exd, Exe
Exn and Exp systems.
02 Maintenance & Inspection of Exd, Exe
Exn and Exp systems.
03 Preparation & Installation of Exi systems.
04 Maintenance & Inspection of Exi systems.
Dust Modules
05 Preparation & Installation of electrical
equipment for use in Explosive Dust Atmospheres.
06 Maintenance & Inspection of electrical
equipment for use in Explosive Dust Atmospheres.
Fuel Modules
07 Preparation & Installation of electrical
Installations at Fuel Filling stations.
08 Inspection, Test & Maintenance of
Electrical Installations at Fuel Filling stations.
Water & Utilities Industry Modules
09 Preparation & Installation of electrical
equipment in explosive atmospheres within the
water industry.
10 Inspection, Test & Maintenance of electrical
equipmen within the water industry.
Mechanical Module
11 Preparation, installation, inspection and
maintenance of mechanical equipment in
explosive atmospheres.
Application Design Engineer Modules
12A Design of Non-Intrinsically Safe electrical
equipment installations in explosive atmospheres.
12B Design of Intrinsically Safe electrical
equipment installations in explosive atmospheres.

Responsible Persons Module (available from December 2015).

14 How to understand your legal
responsibilities and manage inspections and
remedial actions.

protection methods in detail; Exd, Exe, Exn, Exp,

Exi, Exm, Exo, Exq; dust protection by enclosure;
wiring systems and glanding; design, selection,
installation, maintenance, inspection and testing.

How do I register?
In the first instance you should contact the most
appropriate licensed centre from the compex website
www.compex.org.uk. The completed candidate

Who is the course aimed at?

How long does the course take?

Electrotechnical and Mechanical craftspersons,

Electrical / Instrumentation Application Design Engineers
and Responsible Persons who need to develop and
demonstrate their competency in the selection, installation,
inspection and maintenance of electrical and mechanical
apparatus in explosive atmospheres, through an
internationally accredited, certificated competency
validation scheme.

Up to five days in total the instruction takes a period of

between two and three days, depending on the units
taken, establishing the principles and key points
associated with the selection and use of electrical and
mechanical equipment in explosive atmospheres.

fee then needs to be sent to the assessment centre. As part

How will I be assessed?

All candidates taking units Ex01 to Ex04 should be

The assessment is totally separated from the instruction

element of the course. Core Competency is validated by
both practical assessments and examination of
underpinning knowledge and this can take two days to
complete. Each candidate is required to demonstrate
competence in all assessments and the examination,
with successful candidates receiving a CompEx Certificate
of Core Competence.

appropriately qualified electrotechnical craftspersons

What subjects are covered?

Dependant upon the modules selected, subjects covered
include: area classification; temperature classification; gas
and dust groups; dust protection; IP ratings; impact
protection and other environmental influences; ignition
sources; marking and identification; legislation; directives
and standards; earthing; bonding;

registration form (see Registration Page) and the relevant

of the registration process, the centre will then ask you to
provide your evidence to help establish your previous
experience and qualifications.

and will be expected to sign a declaration to that effect.

CompEx mechanical candidates must be mechanically
qualified and have a letter of endorsement from their
employer. Ex12 requires candidates to be familiar with the
IEC Standard 60079 Parts 14 and Ex14 requires familiarity
with the IEC Standard 60079 Part 17 as well as local
regulations. No award under this scheme will be made to
any candidate unless they are so registered with CompEx.
However, CompEx Certificates of Core Competence
will only be issued where candidates have satisfactorily
completed all the unit assessment(s) registered for.
Certificates are valid for up to five years from the original
certification date.

Is there a refresher course available?

It is a requirement to maintain your level of competence and
CompEx offers a short refresher course, normally two-three
days aimed at those persons who have previously
undertaken the main CompEx course and who need to
update their knowledge and have their certified CompEx
status reconfirmed

Case Studies:
Shaun Mitchell (Haliburton) is the 50,000
Certificate holder for the CompEx Ex01-04 Gas
& Vapour Modules in June 2015. When
interviewed by Martin Jones CompEx Operations
Manager, Shaun stated After two years studying at
College and then completing a SVQ Level 3 in Electrical
Engineering Maintenance with my employer, Haliburton I
then attended and was successful in all four modules on a
CompEx Course at EPIT in Aberdeen. This course has
enhanced my understanding of electrical safety procedures
and will enable me to conduct my job responsibility as an
Electronic Instrument Technician on the various oil & gas
platforms in the North Sea Forties, Alpha, Bravo and
Charlie Fields. Throughout my apprenticeship I have been
mentored by a CompEx Technician and look forward in
time to conducting that role myself.
Shaun added My line of work includes installations,
inspections and general maintenance activities and the
CompEx Certificate now confirms my learning and will
allow me to build up my competency levels with further
experience moving forward.
Martin Jones added It was especially pleasing to see a
young craftsperson progress through the oil & gas sector
apprenticeship with Haliburton, proving the worth that
employers that invest in young learners on structured
apprenticeships does deliver its rewards. Shaun is a credit
to his profession and his knowledge of the Standards and
Directives that determine the best practice that we work
within are very high. The future of the industry is in safe
hands if we collectively ensure young learners continue to
have the opportunities we were fortunate to enjoy despite
some challenging economic periods of late.
BPs Shahid Jamil Upstream Engineering
Centre, Electrical Engineer, Houston gave his
views on the experience of a pilot NEC 505 Ex01-04 Gas
& Vapour Course at ATEC Centre in Houston, Texas I
found the pilot course very educational and useful. This
course, in addition to the review of fundamentals of
hazardous area classification, allowed the opportunity to
carry out field work (making of cable glands, etc.),
inspection of installations and competency test of the
attendees. These features made the course very valuable
for Engineers and Technicians. I will recommend this
course to Electrical and Instrumentation Engineers and
Technicians.
Thomas Schneider (Seadrill Americas) is as a
Journeyman Electrician working on Plug &
Abandonment Wells and experienced in
production, subsea, pipe laying Thomas
stated: There are huge benefits coming to this class to
fully understand areas I thought I knew, but now have a
full understanding. The Hands-On Assessments are really
beneficial and truly examine your ability to work safely.
- July 2015