Last updated: May 2025
Summary in plain language: The Engineering University is a completely independent preparation resource. We have no commercial, operational, or regulatory relationship with any licensed Ex assessment centre, certification body, or regulatory authority. POSISYS™ is a preparation aid — not an official product of any assessment scheme. The questions in POSISYS™ are original works based on published IEC 60079 standards — they are not sourced from, connected to, or representative of actual assessment papers.
Who we are
The Engineering University is operated by Darren Emery M.Sc., a Senior Instrument Engineer and Technical Authority with over 40 years of experience in the UK and international process, petrochemical, refinery, offshore, and pharmaceutical industries. Darren holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Teesside University and is a time-served Instrument Artificer.
The Engineering University is a commercial preparation resource — not an educational institution, not a certification body, and not a regulatory authority. The name reflects the depth of knowledge and the standard of content we aim to provide.
Our independence from assessment centres
The Engineering University has no commercial, operational, contractual, or regulatory relationship with any licensed Ex assessment centre — including but not limited to those licensed to deliver the qualification programmes sometimes referred to in the industry as CompEx assessments.
We do not:
- Receive referral fees, commission, or payment of any kind from any assessment centre
- Have access to, or use, any proprietary assessment papers, centre question banks, or marked scripts
- Have any agreement — formal or informal — with any assessment centre or certification body
- Represent that use of POSISYS™ or any TEU resource will guarantee a pass at any assessment
- Hold any licence to deliver Ex assessments
We are entirely funded by direct sales of POSISYS™ and any future products. Our commercial interests are aligned with yours: if POSISYS™ helps engineers prepare effectively, they recommend it. That is the only commercial model we operate.
Our independence from regulatory bodies
The Engineering University is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
- The IECEx Secretariat or any IECEx Certification Body
- ATEX Notified Bodies operating under Directive 2014/34/EU
- IEC Technical Committees responsible for the IEC 60079 standard series
- The British Standards Institution (BSI)
- Any professional engineering body (IMechE, IET, InstMC, etc.)
Standards referenced within POSISYS™ and on this website — including the IEC 60079 series — are the property of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and/or BSI. We reference these standards to help engineers understand the material they underpin. We do not reproduce, repackage, or sell standards content.
About the "Ex" prefix and our use of it
The prefix "Ex" — as used in "Ex01–04", "Ex Assessment Series", "Ex equipment" and similar terms — derives from the IEC 60079 international standard series on explosive atmospheres. The "Ex" designation is a technical and regulatory term in the international standard and is not itself a registered trademark.
Our use of "The Ex Assessment Series" as a descriptive term for the range of hazardous area competence assessments that exist across the industry is a factual description of what those qualifications are — not a claim of commercial association with any specific assessment scheme or centre.
Where we refer to specific qualification structures (Ex01, Ex02, Ex03, Ex04, and so on), we are using the unit designations as they are understood across the industry — as descriptive labels for the content areas those qualifications cover.
POSISYS™ — what it is and what it is not
POSISYS™ is a UK Registered Trade Mark (UK00004343983) of Saving Energy Consultants Limited. It is a purpose-built assessment preparation application for engineers preparing for Ex01–04 Gas and Vapours and related hazardous area qualifications.
POSISYS™ is:
- An independent preparation tool written by Darren Emery M.Sc. and reviewed for accuracy against current IEC 60079 standards
- A question bank containing original questions written to test the same knowledge areas that the assessment covers
- A study organisation tool — countdown timer, spaced repetition, mock exams
- A reference tool — ATEX marking Ready Reckoner, key standards summaries
- A stress and wellbeing resource for the assessment preparation period
POSISYS™ is not:
- An official product of any assessment centre or certification body
- A guarantee of passing any assessment
- A source of actual assessment papers or proprietary centre content
- A replacement for attending the assessment itself
- Endorsed by any regulatory body or professional institution
Accuracy and corrections
We take technical accuracy seriously. Every question in POSISYS™ is written and checked against the current IEC 60079 series by Darren Emery, and reviewed for accuracy before publication. Standards are updated periodically — we review content when standards are revised.
If you believe any content on this website or within POSISYS™ contains a technical inaccuracy, please contact us at hello@theengineeringuniversity.com with your reasoning and the relevant standard reference. Every verified correction earns a thank-you gift — because accuracy in hazardous area preparation has real consequences, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Contact
For any questions about our independence, our content, or our commercial arrangements, contact us at hello@theengineeringuniversity.com.