ATEX · Equipment • In force
Directive 2014/34/EU — ATEX equipment directive
The ATEX equipment directive governs the design, manufacture and marking of equipment for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. Article 2 defines equipment as machines and devices capable of causing an explosion through their own sources of ignition, so the directive is explicitly not limited to electrical equipment. It is the single most important act for flow aids, because the equipment sits on silos holding combustible dust. OLI marks P, K, F, S, OR and OT as II2G Ex h IIB Tx Gb and II2D Ex h IIIC Tx Db. The letter h is precisely the marking for non-electrical explosion protection.
Relevance: All pneumatic vibrators, air cannons and hammers in a classified zone.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
ATEX · Workplace • In force
Directive 1999/92/EC — ATEX workplace directive
The ATEX workplace directive places three duties on the employer. Classify areas into zones under Annex I, that is zones 20, 21 and 22 for dust. Select equipment by category under Annex II Part B, so that zone 20 requires category 1, zone 21 category 1 or 2, and zone 22 category 1, 2 or 3. And draw up an explosion protection document under Article 8. It is the buyer's mirror of the equipment directive and explains why you need to know the category before ordering. A silo interior holding flour or sugar is typically zone 20 or 21, the outside typically 21 or 22.
Relevance: Determines which equipment category you may fit where.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Machinery · Until 19 Jan 2027 • Expires 19 Jan 2027
Directive 2006/42/EC — Machinery Directive
The operative law for everything placed on the market today. Article 2 defines machinery as an assembly fitted with a drive system other than directly applied human or animal effort, with linked moving parts. That definition catches every pneumatic vibrator, hammer and air cannon in the range. The directive also contains an exclusion in Article 1(2)(k) that keeps electric motors outside the Machinery Directive where they are covered by the Low Voltage Directive. That is why the electric and the pneumatic vibrators follow different acts.
Relevance: Applies up to and including 19 January 2027, when the Regulation takes over.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Machinery · From 20 Jan 2027 • Applies from 20 Jan 2027
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 — Machinery Regulation
The Machinery Regulation replaces the Machinery Directive with a directly applicable regulation. There is no national transposition, so the same text binds Denmark and Poland identically. The changeover is hard and keyed to the moment the product is placed on the market. The European Commission states that all machinery placed on the EU market before 20 January 2027 must comply with the Machinery Directive, and that the Regulation applies on a mandatory basis from 20 January 2027. EUR-Lex gives 19 January 2027 as the end of validity of the Machinery Directive. There is no overlap period.
Caveat: We have not been able to read Article 2(2) of the Regulation in full, because EUR-Lex truncates the text. We therefore cannot say whether the electric motor exclusion in Article 1(2)(k) of the Machinery Directive is carried over. If it is not, electric vibrators move into machinery scope from 2027. This must be read in the Official Journal pdf before anyone plans around it.
Relevance: All new equipment from 20 January 2027.
Source: single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu
Electrical · Low voltage • In force
Directive 2014/35/EU — Low Voltage Directive
The Low Voltage Directive applies to electrical equipment designed for use at voltages between 50 and 1 000 V AC and between 75 and 1 500 V DC. It is not an obvious entry on a list about pneumatics, but it belongs here because Article 1(2)(k) of the Machinery Directive expressly keeps electric motors outside the Machinery Directive where they are covered here. MVE-MICRO runs at 230 V single phase and 400 V three phase. The electric micro vibrators are therefore Low Voltage Directive products and not Machinery Directive products, while the entire pneumatic range is the opposite. MVE-DC at 12 and 24 V sits below the threshold and falls outside altogether.
Relevance: background; the range on this site is pneumatic.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Pressure · Air cannons • In force
Directive 2014/68/EU — Pressure Equipment Directive
An air cannon is a pressure vessel discharged through a fast valve, so it has to be held up against this directive. Article 4(1)(a)(ii) covers vessels for Group 2 fluids with a volume greater than 1 litre where the product of the design pressure PS and the volume V exceeds 50 bar-litre, or where PS exceeds 1 000 bar. Compressed air is a Group 2 fluid. Where equipment falls below the threshold, Article 4(3) requires it to be built to sound engineering practice, and it must then precisely not carry PED CE marking. Note that it is the design pressure, not the working pressure, that enters the calculation.
Caveat: Neither the catalogue nor the product sheets state the design pressure and vessel volume for PG 40, PG 63 and PG 80. We therefore cannot say whether a given model sits above or below the 50 bar-litre threshold. Ask OLI for PS and V per model before anyone draws a conclusion.
Relevance: PG air cannons and the air receiver feeding the installation.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Workplace · Noise • In force
Directive 2003/10/EC — Noise at work
Article 3 sets three tiers. The exposure limit value is 87 dB(A) over eight hours and a peak of 200 pascal. The upper exposure action value is 85 dB(A) and 140 pascal. The lower is 80 dB(A) and 112 pascal. This is the most concrete link between legislation and product choice on the whole site, because OLI publishes noise levels in the catalogue and they are high. The PS hammer is rated at 125 dB(A), the PG air cannon at 105, P at 100, and S, OR and OT at around 90. By comparison K and F are rated at 80 dB(A) and MVE at 76.
Relevance: Decisive for the choice between impact equipment and cushioned or electric units.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Workplace · Vibration • In force
Directive 2002/44/EC — Vibration at work
Article 3 sets limits for daily exposure. For hand and arm the exposure limit value is 5 m/s2 and the action value 2,5 m/s2, both as A(8). For whole-body vibration the limit value is 1,15 m/s2 and the action value 0,5 m/s2. Flow aids are deliberate vibration sources bolted to silos, hoppers, chutes and silo trailers, and exposure typically occurs as whole-body vibration via platforms and walkways, or as hand-arm vibration when intervening on running equipment. The Annex refers to ISO 5349-1 and ISO 5349-2 for hand and arm and to ISO 2631-1 for whole body.
Caveat: We have read the entire Flow Aids catalogue. It states centrifugal force in kilograms and frequency in vpm, but no declared vibration emission values in m/s2 for any product. We can therefore describe the duty, but not supply figures.
Relevance: The employer's duty once the equipment is running.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Workplace · Use • In force
Directive 2009/104/EC — Use of work equipment
The work equipment directive codifies Directive 89/655/EEC and its amendments. The employer must select equipment suitable for the work, have it inspected by a competent person before first use and periodically thereafter, have it re-inspected after modification or an accident, and maintain it throughout its life. It is the legal basis for the Danish regulation on the use of technical aids, and it is what an inspector cites when a vibrator is badly mounted, when the impact plate is unguarded, or when the equipment is fed from an unfiltered air line.
Relevance: Everything that happens after delivery.
Source: eur-lex.europa.eu
Danish law · Parent act • In force
The Danish Working Environment Act — LBK no. 442 of 24 April 2026
The parent act on which every Danish regulation below depends. Section 45(1) states that machines and technical aids must be designed and used so that they are fully safe in terms of safety and health. Subsection 2 adds that recognised norms and standards of significance for safety or health must be followed. That is an important sentence, because it makes a voluntary standard binding in practice. Section 38(1) requires work to be planned, organised and carried out in a fully safe manner. Note that this is a fresh consolidation; the previous one was LBK no. 2062 of 16 November 2021.
Relevance: The basis for every Danish requirement on installation and operation.
Source: retsinformation.dk
Danish law · Noise • In force
BEK no. 63 of 6 February 2006 — noise at work
BEK no. 63 transposes the Noise Directive into Danish law, but Denmark is stricter than the EU on the decisive point. Where the EU sets an exposure limit value of 87 dB(A), the Danish regulation states a direct prohibition: no one may be exposed to a noise level above 85 dB(A) or to impulse peaks above 137 dB(C). The lower action value is 80 dB(A) and a peak of 135 dB(C). Set against a PS hammer at 125 dB(A) or a PG air cannon at 105 dB(A), that is not a marginal question, but something to be solved through enclosure, silencers, placement or a different product choice.
Caveat: The wording is confirmed in the consolidated text published by the Danish Working Environment Authority, but we have not established the section number for the 85 dB(A) provision. Cite it without a section reference until someone has checked.
Relevance: Danish ceiling of 85 dB(A), lower than the EU's 87.
Source: at.dk
Danish law · Vibration • In force
BEK no. 682 of 30 June 2005 — vibration at work
BEK no. 682 transposes the Vibration Directive, most recently amended by BEK no. 1882 of 19 December 2023. The values are the same as in the directive, that is 2,5 m/s2 as the action value and 5,0 m/s2 as the limit value for hand and arm, and 0,5 and 1,15 m/s2 for whole body. There is no Danish tightening here, unlike the noise area where Denmark sits below the EU level.
Relevance: Same figures as the EU. No Danish tightening.
Source: at.dk
Danish law · ATEX assessment • In force
BEK no. 478 of 10 June 2003 — work in explosive atmospheres
BEK no. 478 transposes the ATEX workplace directive. It requires a written ATEX risk assessment before work begins in areas where an explosive atmosphere may arise. The assessment must cover the likelihood and duration of the atmosphere, the likelihood of ignition sources, the equipment and processes involved, and the expected consequences. Zone classification is cross-referenced to the separate classification regulation. This is the rule a Danish silo customer is actually audited against.
Relevance: The customer's documentation, before equipment may be fitted.
Source: retsinformation.dk
Danish law · ATEX products • In force
BEK no. 811 of 3 June 2022 — products for explosive atmospheres
The Danish Safety Technology Authority's transposition of the ATEX equipment directive. The regulation expressly covers all ignition sources, electrical as well as non-electrical, which is precisely the distinction that makes purely pneumatic vibrators ATEX equipment in their own right. Note the split of authority, which often causes confusion: ATEX products sit with the Safety Technology Authority, while ATEX workplaces sit with the Working Environment Authority. Two authorities, two rule sets, the same silo.
Relevance: Confirms that non-electrical equipment is also ATEX equipment.
Source: retsinformation.dk
Danish law · Use • In force
BEK no. 428 of 5 April 2022 — use of technical aids
BEK no. 428 transposes the work equipment directive. Section 1 states that the regulation applies to any use of technical aids. It replaced the old BEK no. 1109 of 15 December 1992 together with the rules on hoisting gear, centrifuges, driver guards, chip silos and construction site lifts. That is worth knowing, because a good deal of Danish trade literature still cites 1109 from 1992. The companion rule on design is BEK no. 429 of the same date.
Relevance: Installation, inspection and maintenance in service.
Source: at.dk
Danish law · Pressure vessels • In force
BEK no. 1977 of 27 October 2021 — use of pressure equipment
The Danish Working Environment Authority's rule on the use of pressure equipment, as distinct from the Safety Technology Authority's rule on its design. Applies to equipment containing vapours or gases at a pressure above 0,5 bar. Equipment in control classes A and B must undergo installation inspection before commissioning and periodic inspection thereafter, classified by the product figure, that is bar times litres. The air cannon itself is small, but a silo installation with ten or fifteen cannons is fed from an air receiver on site, and that receiver is clearly in scope.
Relevance: The air receiver supplying the air cannons.
Source: retsinformation.dk
Polish law · Conformity assessment • In force
Act of 13 April 2016 — conformity assessment and market surveillance
The framework act governing how products covered by the new approach directives are placed on the market in Poland. It sets out the duties of manufacturer, importer and distributor, the rules on CE marking, and the tasks of the market surveillance authorities. It is included here because the Polish ATEX regulation is issued under it, much as the Danish regulations rest on the product safety rules. A Polish buyer asking who supervises a CE marking ends up in this act.
Relevance: The enabling act behind the Polish ATEX regulation.
Source: isap.sejm.gov.pl
Polish law · ATEX equipment • In force
Regulation of 6 June 2016 — equipment for explosive atmospheres (Dz.U. 2016 item 817)
Poland's transposition of the ATEX equipment directive 2014/34/EU. The regulation sets out the essential requirements, the division into equipment groups and categories, the conformity assessment procedures and the rules on Ex marking. It replaced the earlier regulation of 22 December 2005. It is the Polish counterpart to Danish BEK no. 811: the same directive and the same requirements, a different country and a different authority.
Relevance: Determines which equipment may lawfully sit in a Polish zone.
Source: isap.sejm.gov.pl
Polish law · Workplace • In force
Regulation of 8 July 2010 — minimum requirements for explosive atmospheres (Dz.U. 2010 no. 138 item 931)
Poland's transposition of the ATEX workplace directive 1999/92/EC. The regulation requires the employer to classify the workplace into zones and to draw up an explosion protection document, in Polish dokument zabezpieczenia przed wybuchem. That document is precisely what a Polish buyer refers to when demonstrating the conditions around the silo. The annex carries the EX warning sign, black letters on a yellow ground. It entered into force three months after publication, that is at the end of October 2010.
Relevance: Requires zone classification and an explosion protection document.
Source: isap.sejm.gov.pl
Polish law · Working environment • In force
Kodeks pracy — the Polish Labour Code (consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 277)
The overarching act on which the Polish working environment rules hang. Section ten requires the employer to ensure safe working conditions and to carry out and document an assessment of occupational risk. The act is also the enabling provision for the two regulations below, and it corresponds in role to the Danish Working Environment Act. The consolidated text dates from February 2025 and has been amended several times since.
Relevance: The Polish counterpart to the Working Environment Act.
Source: isap.sejm.gov.pl
Polish law · General OHS rules • In force
Regulation of 26 September 1997 — general occupational health and safety rules (consolidated text Dz.U. 2003 no. 169 item 1650)
The general Polish occupational health and safety rules for premises, workstations and work processes, including work with a risk of fire or explosion. The regulation fleshes out the Labour Code and forms the general layer beneath the specific rules on explosive atmospheres. The consolidated text dates from 2003 and has been amended several times since, most recently in 2026.
Caveat: From 11 January 2027 the regulation gains a new section 30a on maximum permitted workplace temperatures: 35 degrees indoors and 32 degrees for heavy physical work in the open (Dz.U. 2026 item 927). The amendment has been published but has not yet entered into force.
Relevance: The general layer beneath the rules on classified zones.
Source: isap.sejm.gov.pl
Polish law · Fire protection • In force
Regulation of 7 June 2010 — fire protection of buildings and areas (consolidated text Dz.U. 2023 item 822)
The Polish fire protection regulation. For explosive atmospheres it matters because it requires the owner to draw up an explosion hazard assessment and to designate explosion hazard zones in the building or on the site. It thus completes the picture alongside the equipment rules and the employer's duties: here it is the building and the grounds that carry requirements. The consolidated text dates from 2023 and was amended again in 2024.
Relevance: Zone designation seen from the building and site side.
Source: isap.sejm.gov.pl