2. Carts for potentially explosive atmospheres

The regulations applicable to equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres are described in the Standards and regulations section. . The decree in question is Decree 96.1010 of November 19, 1996, which translates European Directive ATEX 94/9/CE into French, and whose application will be mandatory from January 1 2003. The decree applies to equipment working in areas at risk from the presence of flammable gas or dust.

Manufacturers use two different approaches to produce safety forklifts for use in potentially explosive atmospheres: some modify normal forklifts, while others produce units specially designed for such environments.

The former offer the advantage of standardization with other equipment in the company, simpler maintenance and easier supply of spare parts. What's more, the final...