IECEx Global Approvals
As an IECEx Scheme member, LabTest provides IECEx Test Reports (ExTR), IECEx Quality Assessment Reports (QAR), and the IECEx Certificates of Conformity (CoC) to manufacturers of Hazardous Locations Equipment (Ex Equipment).
What is IECEx Scheme?
The IECEx System is the International Electrotechnical Commission System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres.
The IECEx Scheme is an agreement among IECEx approved Certification Bodies, from several different countries, based on the use of international (IEC) standards and meant to facilitate the international trade of electrical equipment, intended for use in Hazardous Locations (Explosive Atmospheres), while maintaining the required level of safety.
The two key items that support and ensure the fundamentals of the IECEx Scheme are:
- The exchange and acceptance of test reports among participating ExTL’s (Ex Testing Laboratories) and EXCB’s (Ex Certification Bodies) for national approval in one or more countries
- No need for additional testing, with some exceptions: Some countries may have national deviations that need to be addressed, which means that the IEC 60079 standards series will be used as the main standard and another standard(s), for the specific country, will be used in addition (deviation) and therefore, some additional testing to address the deviations may be needed.
The IECEx Equipment Approval Scheme consists of 3 key elements, all issued by an IECEx Scheme Certification Body (ExCB)
IECEx Test Report (ExTR), which documents the evaluation and testing of the subject equipment, performed to the applicable IEC 60079 series standards;
IECEx Quality Assessment Report (ExQAR), which documents the suitability of the manufacturer’s implementation of the requirements of ISO/IEC 80079-34 Explosive atmospheres – Part 34: Application of quality systems for equipment manufacture. This audit is performed by a LabTest qualified auditor at the manufacturer location. Length and frequency of both initial and Surveillance (Follow-Up) audits vary depending on the existence of a quality management system based on ISO9000 (certified by a third party) or not.
IECEx Certificate of Conformity (IECEx CoC), issued by an ExCB to a manufacturer holding an ExTR and an applicable ExQAR.
An introduction to IECEx
LabTest Certification provides Global Market Access (GMA) for the following:
India PESO, Brazil INMETRO, UKCA, Russia EAC and TR CU, Japan TIIS, China CCC, Korea KTL/KGS/KOSHA, Taiwan CNS, Saudi Arabia SASO, UAE ESMA/ECASEx
Benefits of the IECEx Scheme
Reduced testing and certification costs to manufacturer
Reduced time to market
International confidence in the product assessment process
One international database listing
Maintaining international confidence in equipment and services covered by IECEx Certification