Distilleries, breweries and spirit production
ATEX Electrical Services for Distilleries & Breweries
Hazardous-area electrical installation, inspection, maintenance and remedial support for identified gas and vapour Zone 1 and Zone 2 locations across Scotland.
WB Electrical plans each task around the site’s issued hazardous-area information, equipment, permits, isolations and operating controls. Relevant work is delivered by engineers holding CompEx Ex01-Ex04 certification for gas and vapour environments.
ATEX is the requirement buyers recognise
CompEx is the evidence of individual competence. The page uses both terms deliberately, while keeping equipment selection, zoning and employer duties distinct.
Relevant CompEx Ex01-Ex04
Individual gas and vapour competence
Zone 1 and Zone 2
Defined electrical scope by location
Supporting NBD since 2016
Long-term distillery experience
Across Scotland
Suitable projects reviewed by scope
A hazardous area is specific to the site
Distillery Electrical Work Starts With the Confirmed Location
Distilleries and breweries handle materials and processes that can create fire and explosion risks, but that does not make every room, circuit or item of equipment hazardous-area work. The site’s current risk information and classification identify where special controls are required.
For an electrical contractor, that means checking the exact zone, substance information, equipment duty, existing installation and intended task before selecting a method or product. It also means planning the work around production, permits, access and isolation rather than treating “ATEX” as a generic equipment label.
WB Electrical supports the defined electrical delivery scope. The employer retains its DSEAR duties, while hazardous-area classification should be provided or confirmed by the appropriately competent responsible party.
Connected expertise and project evidence
Continue From the Route Closest to Your Requirement
Use the main hazardous-area service for broader capability, review the distillery project evidence, or explore other sectors and completed work across WB Electrical.
Where the electrical requirement may arise
ATEX Support Shaped Around Distillery and Brewery Operations
The correct approach depends on the actual substance, process, equipment and classified location. These examples help identify where an electrical enquiry may need the hazardous-area route.
Process and Transfer Areas
Electrical work may interface with pumps, motors, valves, instruments, controls and transfer equipment in locations identified by the site as hazardous. The confirmed classification and equipment duty determine the electrical approach.
Spirit Handling and Filling Interfaces
Handling, filling and related transfer activities can introduce localised gas or vapour considerations. The exact location and extent of any zone must come from the site’s current assessment and classification.
Maturation and Warehousing Sites
Warehouses may combine operational access, vehicle movements, high-level equipment and site-specific hazardous locations. Work planning considers the actual building, asset and operating controls rather than assuming one condition throughout.
Utilities and Supporting Plant
Lighting, distribution, ventilation interfaces, pumps and ancillary equipment may support production without every item being in a hazardous area. The boundary between ordinary and Ex work needs to remain clear.
A complete electrical delivery route
Hazardous Area Electrical Services for Distilleries and Breweries
Start with the service closest to the requirement. Where inspection, remedial work, installation and documentation are connected, WB Electrical can define them as one coordinated electrical scope.
New work and controlled changes
Hazardous Area Installations
New circuits, containment, cable routes, lighting, power and control interfaces within identified gas or vapour hazardous areas, delivered against the issued project and hazardous-area information.
- Zone 1 and Zone 2 requirements reviewed by task
- Equipment, glands, entries and terminations checked for the location
- Initial inspection and applicable handover records
Existing Ex assets
Inspection and Testing
Visual, close or detailed Ex inspection programmes shaped around the equipment population, available records, deterioration risks, access and isolation requirements.
- Asset-referenced inspections
- Clear observations and defect reporting
- Scope agreed before intrusive or isolated checks
Keeping equipment serviceable
Planned and Reactive Maintenance
Planned Ex maintenance, fault investigation and controlled reactive support for agreed sites, with the response route, permits and isolations established for the client and task.
- Planned inspection and maintenance activity
- Fault finding and defined remedial work
- Records updated following agreed changes
Appropriate equipment and accessories
Ex Equipment Installation and Replacement
Installation or replacement of suitably selected Ex electrical equipment, accessories and connections after the location, equipment duty, protection concept and certification information have been reviewed.
- Enclosures, isolators and junction boxes
- Glands, seals, entries and terminations
- Ex lighting, power and control equipment
Practical planning input
Electrical Scope and Design Interface
Electrical input on routes, equipment, isolation, access and maintainability, coordinated with the client and the competent party responsible for the hazardous-area classification and wider DSEAR information.
- Walkdowns and scope development
- Equipment and routing coordination
- Shutdown and installation planning
Traceable close-out
Documentation and Reporting
Inspection records, defect schedules, asset references, photographs and remedial close-out information organised to support the site Ex file and future maintenance.
- Inspection and defect records
- Equipment and location references
- Remedial evidence and outstanding actions
Information that improves the first review
What Helps Us Assess an ATEX Electrical Enquiry
A short enquiry can be useful, but the following information helps WB identify the correct competence, access and pricing route sooner:
- Site name, building and precise work location
- Current hazardous-area drawing or confirmed Zone 1 or Zone 2 information
- Substance, gas group and temperature information relevant to the task
- Equipment tags, marking, certificates, schedules or photographs
- Existing inspection records, defect lists or remedial priorities
- Required outcome, programme and handover format
- Permit, isolation, gas-testing, access and shutdown constraints
- The client, responsible person or technical contact for clarifications
From scope review to handback
How Distillery Hazardous Area Work Is Controlled
The site’s safe system of work remains central throughout. This process keeps the electrical task, responsibilities, competence, operational controls and close-out visible.
01
Confirm the Task and Competence Route
Identify the location, equipment, reason for the work and whether the requirement sits within WB Electrical’s current gas and vapour hazardous-area scope.
02
Review the Issued Site Information
Check the relevant classification drawing, zone, equipment data, inspection history, client standards and any existing defect or work schedule.
03
Plan Access, Permits and Isolation
Agree how the area will be accessed and controlled, the permit route, isolation method, shutdown window, gas-testing requirements and interfaces with operations.
04
Install, Inspect or Remediate
Complete the agreed electrical task using the equipment, methods and checks appropriate to the confirmed location and defined scope.
05
Verify, Record and Hand Back
Provide the inspection, test, asset, defect or remedial records applicable to the work, with exclusions and any remaining actions made clear.
Related terms with different jobs
DSEAR, ATEX and CompEx: What Each Means
These terms belong in the same conversation, but they do not mean the same thing. Clear language prevents the electrical contractor, equipment supplier and dutyholder roles from being blurred.
DSEAR
DSEAR places duties on the employer to assess and control risks from dangerous substances. WB Electrical uses the relevant site information for the agreed electrical work but does not present the electrical installation scope as the client’s DSEAR risk assessment.
ATEX
ATEX is the familiar buyer term for explosive-atmosphere equipment and working environments. In practice, equipment selection and installation must match the confirmed zone, substance group, temperature requirements and other project information.
CompEx
CompEx is a certification scheme that validates the competence of individuals working in potentially explosive atmospheres. WB uses engineers holding the relevant Ex01-Ex04 certification for defined gas and vapour electrical work.
Authoritative background: HSE guidance on DSEAR duties, HSE guidance on hazardous zones and equipment, and the official CompEx certification scheme.
Close-out that supports the next intervention
Records Should Make the Ex Installation Easier to Manage
The handover should reflect the agreed task and help the next competent person understand what was inspected, installed or changed. It should also distinguish completed remedials from observations or actions that remain with another party.
Before quotation, tell us whether the site uses its own tag format, inspection sheets, defect priorities, photographs, drawing conventions or Ex register. Agreeing the format early avoids useful technical information being returned in a form the site cannot readily use.
Possible handover content
- Asset, equipment and location references
- Inspection grade and scope completed
- Electrical test or installation records where applicable
- Defect descriptions and agreed priorities
- Photographs and remedial close-out evidence
- Changes, exclusions and remaining actions
Project evidence from a working distillery
Supporting North British Distillery Since 2016
WB Electrical has supported North British Distillery across its Edinburgh distillery and associated West Lothian warehousing sites, providing planned upgrades, reactive fault finding, testing and electrical infrastructure work.
The relationship demonstrates the practical value of an electrical contractor that understands live production, shutdowns, permits, isolations and clear close-out records. Where an individual task interfaces with an identified gas or vapour hazardous area, it is planned against the client’s current hazardous-area information and site controls.
- Long-term electrical support since 2016
- Edinburgh distillery and West Lothian warehousing environments
- Planned, reactive, testing and improvement work
- Task-specific hazardous-area planning where required
Common questions
Questions About ATEX Electrical Work in Distilleries
These answers explain WB Electrical’s current scope, the information that supports a useful enquiry and the boundaries between electrical delivery, individual competence and the dutyholder’s responsibilities.
Do you provide ATEX electrical services for distilleries across Scotland?
Yes. WB Electrical supports suitable distillery, brewery and associated warehousing projects across Scotland. The practical service area and delivery plan depend on the scope, programme, site access and whether the task fits WB’s current gas and vapour hazardous-area competence.
Why do you use both ATEX and CompEx on this page?
ATEX is the term many buyers use when searching for equipment and services in explosive-atmosphere environments. CompEx is the competence-certification scheme for individuals. Using both terms helps describe the requirement clearly without suggesting that CompEx certifies the company, the site or the completed installation.
Can WB Electrical decide which areas are Zone 1 or Zone 2?
WB does not present formal hazardous-area classification as part of a standard electrical contracting scope. The employer or appointed competent specialist should issue or confirm the current classification. WB then uses that information to plan the defined electrical work.
Which hazardous-area zones do you work in?
The marketed scope on this page covers defined gas and vapour work in identified Zone 1 and Zone 2 locations, subject to the exact equipment, task, site information and competence requirements being reviewed before quotation.
Do you undertake work in dust zones?
Dust hazardous areas require a separate competence route and different technical considerations. They are not included in the core scope advertised on this page. A dust-related enquiry can be reviewed, but no work should be assumed until the required competence and delivery arrangement have been confirmed.
Can you inspect existing Ex equipment and installations?
Yes, where the required inspection grade, equipment population, records, access and isolation needs can be defined. The scope may include visual, close or detailed inspection, with asset-referenced findings and agreed reporting.
Can you complete remedial work from an existing ATEX or Ex inspection report?
Yes, subject to review. Send the inspection report, defect schedule, equipment references, hazardous-area information and required programme. WB can then identify what can be priced, what needs further investigation and how remedial close-out should be recorded.
Can work be planned around production or a shutdown?
Yes. Options may include preparatory work outside the classified location, phased access, an agreed shutdown or coordination with the site’s permit and isolation system. The appropriate method depends on the task and cannot be assumed before the affected equipment and operations are reviewed.
What documentation will be provided?
Records depend on the agreed work. They may include inspection sheets, equipment or asset references, test results, photographs, certification relevant to the electrical installation, defect information and remedial close-out evidence. Required formats should be identified before quotation.
What should we send with an enquiry?
The most useful starting information is the site and location, a description of the task, the current classification drawing or zone information, equipment tags and certificates where available, any inspection or defect report, the required timescale and known permit, access or shutdown constraints.
Start with the task and site information
Discuss a Distillery or Brewery ATEX Electrical Requirement
Tell us where the work is, what has prompted it and which hazardous-area information is available. WB Electrical will review whether the task fits the present gas and vapour scope, identify important gaps and confirm the most appropriate next step.
Call: 01698 883232
Email: info@wbelectrical.co.uk
Useful information to include
- Site, building and work location
- Confirmed zone or hazardous-area drawing
- Equipment references or inspection findings
- Required outcome and programme
- Known access, permit and shutdown constraints
Your information will be used to review and respond to this enquiry. Read the WB Electrical Privacy Policy. If the requirement spans several non-hazardous electrical services, you can also use the general project quote form.