ATEX certified and approved vacuum cleaners for Explosive materials and hazardous environments.

BVC have developed a range of electric and compressed air driven industrial zone 21 and zone 22 vacuum cleaners for use in potentially explosive and hazardous atmospheres where the presence of gases, vapours, mists or dust may ignite. Under the  ATEX  directive 2014/34/EU only suitably approved machines can be used to perform this duty. LINK HSE Website

Examples of such potentially explosive dusts include flour, sugar, starch, cereals, animal feed, wood, resins, plastics, coal, light metals, textiles and paper. If there is a sufficient concentration of these substances when mixed with air, any ignition source (even light static) can cause an explosion. BVC ATEX compliant industrial vacuum cleaners can prevent dust build ups which can trigger such potentially devastating life threatening explosions.

BVC ATEX compliant industrial vacuum cleaners and interceptors offer collection capacities up to 1,500 litres of dry product and some can also be used with liquids. Under UK and EU law such hazardous environments are subject to the ATEX legislation. Using ATEX compliant industrial vacuum cleaners is essential to mitigate any risk of explosion and the accompanying loss of life

Many dusts are capable of creating a highly explosive atmosphere. Products such as flour, starch, sugar, wood dust, metal dust and many other substances can be ignited when the concentrations of dust in the air create an explosive atmosphere. Where hazardous atmospheres occur, great care must be taken to minimize the risk to life and property.

Minimising the risk is imperative for safety, both by reducing the creation of dust during processes and, where dust is likely to occur, ensuring good cleanliness by using appropriately certified ATEX compliant industrial cleaning machines that can remove dust without the risk of creating a source of ignition.

Click here to see a Video clip of a factory dust explosion that could have been prevented by good housekeeping. Whilst this video originates in the US, there have been several occurrences of dust explosions in the UK.

Some of the Vacuum Cleaners in the BVC ATEX range can be supplied with both ATEX and Type H ratings. These Type H + ATEX Industrial Vacuum Cleaners have been endorsed by the Technical Advisory Section of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation ( Authors of Joint Services Publication JSP403 ) as suitable for use within MOD indoor firing ranges as part of a holistic cleaning programme where the hazards are potentially both lead dust and un-burnt propellant.