Briefing Paper from EEMUA

August 2013

EEMUA CompEx - the worlds pre-eminent IEC Ex scheme

for personnel competency development and certification

_____________________________________________________________________________

Summary
Potentially flammable or explosive atmospheres occur in a wide range of industrial sectors from
oil & gas to chemicals, food, drink and pharmaceuticals manufacture, mining, waste water
treatment and others, as well as in the retail sector such as fuel filling stations. 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.
Based upon the IEC Standards, primarily 60079: 10; 14 & 17, and UKAS accredited to ISO
17024, EEMUA CompEx is the global solution for Competency Validation and Certification for
electrotechnical, mechanical and multi-skilled technicians as well as professional engineers
working in potentially hazardous or explosive atmospheres.
Key elements of the CompEx scheme are:

Based upon the IEC Standards, primarily 60079: 10; 14 & 17.

Determines Core Competency by checking both the underpinning knowledge by

examination and practical skills and ability by assessment.

Over 40,000 CompEx Certificates of Core Competency issued since 1994.

UKAS accredited to ISO 17024.

Unrivalled breadth and depth: 12 distinct CompEx Units including Electrical,

Mechanical, and Application Design Engineer.

Worldwide over 25 CompEx Licensed Centres including Europe, Asia and

Americas.

Delivered in English and Dutch.

Taking into account local Regulations, Directives and national variations in

Standards.

CompEx Scheme Governance secures impartiality by representation from major

International Users in the Oil, Gas and Chemical industry; Employers; Contractors;
Unions; Regulators; the Certification Body and others.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Introduction to EEMUA CompEx

Further to the July 1988 Piper Alpha Offshore disaster in the North Sea, the investigation report
led by Lord Cullen, recommended that employers ensure the Competency of Personnel for all
workers that they employ.
In the UK, the Electricity at Work Regulations (1989) made this a mandatory requirement and
increased the standards necessary to ensure the competency of personnel, thereby increasing
workplace safety in potentially hazardous environments. These new legal requirements brought
about the need to provide a competency scheme that would both assess the underpinning
knowledge (theory) and the competency validation (practical assessment) of individuals under
one scheme and the associated Core Competency Certificate that would be obtained by
successful practitioners.
As a result, the Engineering Equipment and Material Users' Association (EEMUA) and JTL, the
UK's leading work based learning provider, worked together with the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) and Electrical Contractors Association (ECA), to successfully launch the CompEx
competency validation initiative in 1993, in London and Glasgow.
Significantly, CompEx competency is certificated only to individuals who:

Meet the necessary entry criteria for the CompEx modules.

Pass the underpinning knowledge theory examinations.

Pass the competency validation test in the form of a practical assessment.

1994 saw the birth of the first CompEx Centre at Aberdeen College in Aberdeen, Scotland. There
is now an international network of licensed CompEx centres that provide CompEx training and
assessment leading to core competency validation certification across the globe, from Aberdeen
down to Sasolburg, South Africa and from Houston across to Singapore. No matter where you
are in the world, there is always a CompEx centre within reach.
Since its inception, over 40,000 CompEx Certificates of Core Competency have been issued, all
contributing to increased safety awareness in the workplace. This achievement underlines the
position of CompEx as by far the worlds most important international Ex personnel certification
scheme.

The EEMUA CompEx personnel competency scheme

CompEx is the global solution for Competency Validation and Certification for electrotechnical,
mechanical and multi-skilled craftpersons as well as professional engineers working in potentially
hazardous or explosive atmospheres.
The IEC International Standards primarily 60079 - 10; 14 & 17 are at the heart of all CompEx
delivery to ensure international conformity and harmonisation of safe working practices. The
CompEx scheme also reflects established national and regional legislation and regulation such as
the EU-ATEX Directives. In addition, CompEx is operated by a Certification Body JTL, which is
formally accredited by UKAS in accordance with the International Standard ISO/IEC 17024:2003
Conformity Assessment General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons.

A CompEx module includes all training and assessments and upon success, candidates receive a
CompEx Certificate of Core Competency. Each certificate is valid up to a period of five years,
depending on the changes to International, European and British Standards.
The CompEx Scheme Governance secures impartiality by representation from major
International Users in the Oil, Gas and Chemical industry; Employers; Contractors; Unions;
Regulators; the Certification Body and others.
CompEx is an integral part of a global solution for the competence route to safety as can be seen
in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1. The role of CompEx in the global competency route to safety.

Source: EEMUA.
Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between the various elements in the global competency route
to safety. Broadly speaking, these are:

Users Group (such as EEMUA) participation in development and interpretation of

Directives (e.g. ATEX) and standards (e.g. IEC Ex Standards).

Product safety & quality addressed by testing and certification.

Equipment installation, inspection and maintenance CompEx Certification for Electrical,

Mechanical and Multi-skilled operatives.

Workplace area / systems design and management CompEx certification for professional
engineers.

Unrivalled breadth and depth with CompEx

The 12 modules of competency validation that are defined within CompEx produce an IEC Ex
scheme of unrivalled breadth and depth, allowing certification for a wide range of personnel and
situations:

Electrical, mechanical and multi-skilled craftspeople.

Professional engineers responsible for the design and installation of applications and
systems for hazardous Ex areas.

Managers who oversee the operation of these installations.

Specially tailored modules for specific sectors: fuel filling stations; the water and
wastewater industries; flour mills, coal and other dusty environments besides the oil and
gas industry, offshore and onshore, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Please see Appendix I for a full list of CompEx Modules.

International and multi-lingual delivery

CompEx is now delivered via a growing number of Licensed Competency Validation Centres
around the world: from Africa and the Middle-East, to America, Asia, Australasia and Europe, see
Figure 2 below. CompEx is currently delivered in English and Dutch with other languages
planned. Discussions are currently underway to investigate how the CompEx global solution to
safety can best be operated in other parts of the world that do not follow IEC Standards.

Figure 2. Locations of existing and planned CompEx Licensed Centres.

Source: EEMUA.
Please see Appendix II for a full list of CompEx Licensed Competency Validation Centres.

Guaranteed to be most effective

CompEx is most effective because it combines formal learning and knowledge examination with
practical assessment to determine overall core competency. The effectiveness of CompEx is also
assured by being owned and overseen by user companies who have a vested interest in ensuring
safety in the workplace

Appendix I The CompEx Modules

CompEx Modules for Competency Certification
ExF

Foundation Unit

Ex01-02

The preparation, installation, maintenance and inspection of Ex d, n, e and

p apparatus in potentially explosive atmospheres

Ex03-04

The preparation, installation, maintenance and inspection of Ex i systems in

potentially explosive atmospheres

Ex05-06

The preparation, installation, maintenance and inspection of electrical

apparatus for use in the presence of combustible dusts

Ex07-08

The preparation, installation, de-commissioning, inspection, testing and

maintenance of electrical installations at fuel filling stations

Ex09-10

The preparation, installation, maintenance and inspection of Ex d, n, e, p

and i apparatus in potentially explosive atmospheres within the water
industry

Ex11

The preparation, installation, maintenance and inspection of mechanical

apparatus in potentially explosive atmospheres

Ex12

The design, management and approval of applications and systems for

hazardous areas

Appendix II Licensed CompEx Competency Validation Centres

International Licensed CompEx Centres
Name of Centre
TTE-Petrofac
ProtEx Ltd (Mobile)
Quercus Technical Services BV
STC (Service & Technology Centre Petrotec)
ATEC MOXI PTE Ltd
ATTS - Asia (Assets Training & Technical
Services PTE Ltd)
Hazloc (Intertek)
Intertek Ltd
ATEC Training & Certification Services
OCS Training Institute

Location
Baku, Azerbaijan
Egypt & Tunisia
Goes & Zwolle, Netherlands
Doha, Qatar
Singapore
Singapore
Sasolburg, South Africa
Dubai, UAE & USA
Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas

UK Licensed CompEx Centres

Name of Centre
ASET
EPIT Group Ltd
Prospects Training Solutions Ltd
NETA Training Group
Intertek
TTE Training Ltd
Forth Valley College
HOTA
Lowestoft College
Roxby Training Solutions Ltd
TTE Technical Training Group
Hornbill Industrial Training
Hornbill / Pembrokeshire College
Seta Ltd
P & R Hurt

Location
Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Basildon
Billingham
Chester & Grangemouth
Ellesmere Port
Falkirk
Hull
Lowestoft
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Neath
Pembrokeshire
Southampton
Yeovil

For
F enquiries
s, contact John Lilley, Ele
ectrical Engin
neering, Instrumentation and Contro
ol Topic Lead, EEMUA
Email:
E
john.lilley@eemua
a.org or +44
4 (0)20 7264
4 0019
Notes
N
EEMUA
E
- Lead
dership in In
ndustrial Ass
set Managem
ment
EEMUA,
E
the En
ngineering Equ
uipment and Materials
M
Userrs' Association
n, is an international non-prrofit members
ship
organisation
o
th
hat aims to im
mprove the saffety, environm
mental and op
perating perforrmance of ind
dustrial facilitie
es in the mostt
cost-effective w
way, developing and promo
oting leadersh
hip in industria
al asset management. Mem
mber companie
es manage
process
p
plants, refineries, power stations and utilities, offshore platfforms, storage
e terminals an
nd other indus
strial facilities
around the world (engineeriing assets worth billions of Euros). EEMU
UA members pursue
p
their a ims by sharing engineering
g
experiences
e
an
nd expertise, and
a
by the promotion of th eir distinct intterests as the users of engiineering produ
ucts.
CompEx
C
is a re
egistered trademark and re
egistered certi fication mark of EEMUA.
CompEx
C
schem
me website: http://www.compex.org.uk
Copyright EEMUA, 2013.

WOR
RK SAFELY
Y IN 2012-20
013
EEMUA
A is an official partner
p
of the EU
U-OSHA
Workpllaces Campaign
n on Risk Preve
ention