History

In 1955 thuba AG manufactured its first explosionproof device, a drum lamp. In those days national standards applied, and no thought was given to harmonizing the standards or dismantling obstacles to trade. Because the company was already concerned with industrial electric heaters, the addition of explosionproof heaters to the line was a logical next step in the sixties. Around the time the CENELEC standards were introduced, thermostats and control systems were added to the range.
Only in 1975 did the Council of the European Community issue guideline directives on explosion protection. CENELEC, the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization, developed the necessary European standards covering electrical apparatus for use in areas with explosion hazards. In 1980, the CENELEC member countries adopted standards EN 50014 to EN 50020, which were developed on this basis, for inclusion in their national compilations of standards.
Already at the end of the eighties it started to become apparent that the existing standards had to be replaced by a new directive. On March 23, 1994 the European Parliament and Council approved the new Directive 94/9/EC for the harmonization of the legal regulations of member states pertaining to devices and protective systems designated for use in areas subject to explosion hazards. On July 1, 2003, following a 7-year transitional period, the directive replaced all existing directives on explosion protec-tion at the European level. A new feature of Directive 94/9/EC was the observation that not only electrical equipment, but also non-electrical equipment could serve as sources of ignition for setting off explosions. It also broke new ground by covering areas at risk of either gas or dust explosions.
In January 2000 the Gazette of the European Communities published a second important directive on the subject of explosion protection: Directive 1999/92/EC dated December 16, 1999 contains the minimum requirements for improving the safety and health of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres. This directive took effect on the same date as Directive 94/9/EG. Together, the two directives embody the protective measures for areas subject to explosion hazards. As a result, recognition of EC Type Examination Certificates is assured in the member states of the EU and in Norway and Switzerland.
Increasingly, the "International Electrotechnical Commission IEC" is taking on the leading role in the development and updating of standards. This ensures that the existing standards will be applied and harmonized outside the EU's geographical boundaries. Taken as a whole, explosion protection is today one of the best-harmonized technical fields of all. Additional support is provided by bilateral agreements between European test laboratories ("notified bodies"), because they collaborate with "Underwriters Laboratories UL" and "Factory Mutual FM" in the USA, the "National Supervision and Inspection Centre for Explosion Protection and Safety of Instrumentation NEPSI" in Shanghai, China, and the "Technology Institution of Industrial Safety TIIS" in Tokyo, Japan.

Our paramount goal was not only to fulfill all requirements of the directive in good time, but also to provide input in the the various various IEC committees and to support the notified bodies. Though probably the smallest company represented, we are now firmly established in the most important committees.