Explosive (Ex) rated equipment is currently very much to the fore in various industries. Whether it be pharmaceutical, chemical, petro-chemical, fuel, waste water treatment plants (WWTP) or the food and grain sectors, there is a strong likelihood that some equipment in any given facility will have to be Ex/ATEX rated. When electrical equipment is installed in hazardous areas where dangerous concentrations and quantities of flammable gases, vapours, mists or dusts may be present in the atmosphere, protective measures are to be applied. These measures reduce the likelihood of explosion due to ignition by arcs, sparks or hot surfaces produced either in normal operation, or under specified fault conditions. This is an extremely detailed and specialised field. RISK MANAGEMENT Investment in the maintenance of Ex apparatus can result in dramatic risk reduction. There is a general vacuum of knowledge about Ex motors in industry. The assumption may be that if it has an Ex nameplate, then it is assumed to be fit for purpose. However, this is not so. ATEX directives state that documented maintenance by competent personnel must be available. Bearing this in mind, Avonmore Electrical decided last year that it should put the knowledge it has gleaned over its 56-year history to good use and to better help its customers and clients to meet their responsibilities towards the maintenance of Ex-rated equipment. Avonmore began to host seminars to enlighten people and companies about their obligations as end asers and, equally so, about the obligations of their repair agents with regard to the proper maintenance and record keeping of these Ex-rated pieces of equipment. These seminars started at the company’s head office/workshop in Mallow, Co. Cork last October. Avonmore Electricals decided to host them on a twice-monthly basis and to limit participants to a maximum of 15 per session so as to ensure full engagement with the subject. Topics covered include:

  • Ex motor nameplates and what they tell us;
  • Personnel competency – competency to work on Ex motors; and
  • User Obligations.
The company has recently been accredited by BASEEFA (British Approval Service for Electrical Equipment in Flammable Atmospheres) an IECEx (International Electro-technical Committee) certified facility. It is currently the only such facility in Ireland. DUBLIN COURSES  The uptake on these free seminars has proven to be positive. Available spaces were filled soon after dates were announced. Due to the success of these in-house seminars, Avonmore Electrical thought that it should bring the seminars to Dublin to cater for Leinster-based clients. Two seminars have taken place so far in Dublin’s Red Cow Hotel complex, on March 28 and April 23 last. The next Dublin seminar is set to take place on May 28, again in the Red Cow Hotel complex. The next seminar in the company’s Head Office in Cork is set for Friday, 9 May. Should you wish to reserve a place for yourself or someone in your company for one of the Dublin dates, please contact Alan Burke, Avonmore Electrical’s Leinster representative, by email at alanb@avonmore-electrical.com or on 0868181406. If you wish to reserve a space on the Cork, contact Eileen at rewinds@avonmore-electrical.com or on 02247477. Avonmore Electrical has been maintaining and repairing electric motors since 1958, much of this with the expertise and ingenuity of long-serving staff. The company has completely rebuilt motors ranging in size from .18kW up to and exceeding 5,000kW. It repairs both AC and DC motors, Servo motors, generators and alternators, submersible pump motors, water and oil filled, field, interpole, solenoid and brake coils – as well as explosion-proof motors (ATEX rated).