garyolly,

OK, I have given some indication below that you may wish to consider but without further details on the specifics of your paint plant, then there can be other considerations.

So firstly under DSEAR 2002 a competent person employed or appointed by the Duty Holder needs to do the full hazardous area survey.

So under the "Umbrella" of the Explosion Protection Document (EPD) the Duty Holder should hold on file and have it regularly reviewed by a competent person the chamical data sheet that indicates exactly what the hazardous chemical actually is? So does the paint produce a flammable gas, vapour or mist based on storage of the material and the process system for how its used? Do you make paint? So you actually have dusts involved in a manufacturing process that could be explosive?

So knowing exactly what the danger actually is critical, from that information again a competent person needs to carry out a area classification study that would determine where, when and what the extent of any hazardous areas would be. From that study a area classification drawing to 60079-10-1 or 60079-10-2 would be produced. Those drawings should be readily availible and subject to regular review.

Basic principle of DSEAR is elimination, substitute, control, mitigate etc. So when the area classification drawings are produced, makes sense not to put anything electrical or ignition capable in, near or above the Haz areas. That way you dont need Ex certified equipment.

If you are saying you do have Ex certified luminaires, then one would hope all the proprietory work to comply with DSEAR would have been completed. A competent electrical contractor would install the Ex equipment as per 60079-14 and then test and inspect it as per 60079-17. There should be a "Design" of that installation as well that the contractor carried out the installation to.

You should also have suitable EIC as per BS7671 applicable at the time as well.

Now on the Atex data plate will be manufacturers name/model No etc plus the certificate number. Should be a easy search engine search by typing in the manufactuers name/model No and cert No and you can download the cert for the make/model of that Luminaire. That apperwork may also indicate specifics how it was to be installed, but also how it should then be obtained.

The EPD should also record any time somebody works on those liminaires.

So as you can see from the above its not just quite as simple as one bit of paper/report or cert.

You can certainly ask a competent Haz area electrical inspector to carry out a 60079-17 periodic inspection for you and I would suggest a detailed grade if you have no existing info. But that inspector is going to ask you for lots of other info from your EPD to assist them.

But in summary, yes doesnt matter it was a Haz area install of some Ex luminaires you required all the installation certs and test results in the right format.

Hope this helps

Cheers GTB