page-header

Retain certification

CompEx certification lasts for 5 years. It's important to make sure knowledge and skills are up to date and workers remain competent to work in explosive atmospheres.

Renew your CompEx certification every 5 years

All CompEx certificates are issued with an expiry date and it is important that practitioners attend a CompEx course before that date if they want to retain their certification.

Choose the right course that meets your experience

Employers and practitioners should consider knowledge, skills and recent experience when deciding which course to attend for recertification.  Some practitioners regularly work in hazardous areas, but for others this may be infrequent, or something that they have not done for several years.

For practitioners that frequently work in hazardous areas and have previously successfully completed full five-day practitioner course in Gas and Vapours (Ex01 – Ex04), there is a tailored refresher course available for recertification, Recognised Practitioners Programme.

Please note that for anyone wanting to re-certify for Fuel Forecourts (Ex07-Ex08) will need to complete the full assessment after 5 years.

However, attending a full course may be more appropriate for some practitioners who do not regularly work in hazardous environments, as it gives learners more classroom time ahead of practical assessments and theory examinations.

CompEx certificates are valid for a maximum of 5 years from the date of issue and must be refreshed before the expiry date on the certificate.  Failure to refresh before the expiry date will result in having to take the full qualification (Ex01 – Ex04) assessment again.

Revision and course preparation

Employers should make sure that staff have plenty of notice before attending a course, particularly for the recertification course (Ex01R – Ex04R) to ensure candidates have enough time to study.

Candidates should also be equipped with the right skills, knowledge, and experience before attending a course.  It is important that they come fully prepared by undertaking revision of key topics such as relevant standards, regulations, and directives; ignition sources; risk reduction; protection concepts; hazardous area classification; equipment marking and selection.

Practical skills are also appraised during assessments, so practitioners must make sure that they can gland, terminate and inspect a variety of cables and equipment suitable for explosive atmospheres.

Find a centre

Find your nearest licensed CompEx centre and get full contact details using our simple map facility.

Back to top of page