Application of the ATEX-HOF methodology: A case study in automotive manufacturing industry

ATEX (explosive atmosphere) risk assessment is required when any equipment are intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. However, when reviewing the ATEX risk assessment procedures, despite many operations on plant and equipment containing dangerous substances are performed by operators, the influence of human and organizational factors (HOF) are neglected. The integrated ATEX-HOf methodology was proposed in previous works, with the aim of providing an advanced methodology to analyse HOF influences on ATEX hazards for various industries. In this paper, a case study from an automotive manufacturing industry is introduced, in order to apply the ATEX-HOF methodology into the on-site application.