ATEX is a certification that applies to electrical and/or mechanical equipment used on the surface, below the ground, and on fixed, offshore installations. The term itself comes from the French phrase, Atmosphères Explosibles and defines the standards for classifying products that are used in a potentially explosive environment. The original, developed in 2003, has updated to ensure that it can apply to all countries that are a part of the EU. It is important to note that the directive sets the standards but testing must be conducted by an approved lab, such as TUV, utilizing the designated test approaches.