Occupational safety International framework and country guides
How are explosive atmospheres and Ex equipment regulated in Kazakhstan?
Part of: Occupational safety and health in Kazakhstan: law, authorities and employer duties
Short answer
Ex equipment needs a certificate under EAEU regulation TR CU 012/2011, the EAC mark and the Ex sign; ATEX or IECEx alone is not accepted. Sites with flammable substances are hazardous production facilities supervised by the industrial safety authority.
Kazakhstan regulates explosive atmospheres in two layers. Equipment for explosive atmospheres must be certified under the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) technical regulation TR CU 012/2011 and marked with EAC and the special Ex sign before it is placed on the market. Workplaces where flammable gases, liquids or explosives are produced, used or stored are hazardous production facilities under the Law on Civil Protection, supervised by the industrial safety authority, with the Labour Code's general OSH duties on top.
Short answer
- Equipment: TR CU 012/2011 "On safety of equipment for work in explosive atmospheres" (Customs Union Commission Decision No. 825 of 18 October 2011, in force since 15 February 2013); mandatory certification by an accredited union body, EAC mark, Ex sign and explosion protection marking.
- Foreign certificates: ATEX or IECEx certificates are not accepted as such; certification is done by a certification body and an accredited testing laboratory entered in the union's unified register.
- Certificate validity: at most 5 years for serial production; a batch or single unit certificate has no fixed term.
- Workplaces: facilities handling flammable, combustible, oxidising or explosive substances are hazardous production facilities (Law No. 188-V of 11 April 2014, Article 70): registration, production control, emergency plan, industrial safety training and, at the authority's threshold quantities, an industrial safety declaration.
- No single EU-style workplace directive: there is no direct equivalent of directive 1999/92/EC; zoning and installation follow sector industrial safety rules, the electrical installation rules and interstate standards largely based on IEC 60079.
- Penalty: placing uncertified equipment on the market is fined under Article 415 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
Ex equipment: the EAC route
TR CU 012/2011 covers electrical equipment (including Ex components) and non-electrical equipment for gas and dust atmospheres and for mines. Conformity is by certification only; a manufacturer's declaration is not enough. Three schemes exist: 1c for serial production (type testing, analysis of production and surveillance), 3c for a batch and 4c for a single unit. The applicant must be registered in a member state; for serial production it is the manufacturer or a party acting for the foreign manufacturer under contract.
Certified equipment carries the EAC mark, the special explosion safety sign (the letters "Ex" in a rectangle) and the explosion protection marking from the regulation and the standards. The standards used are interstate (GOST) standards, largely adoptions of IEC 60079, listed by the Eurasian Economic Commission, so the edition may differ from the latest IEC one. A certificate issued under the common regulation in any member state is valid in Kazakhstan.
The workplace side: hazardous production facilities
Under Article 70 of the Law on Civil Protection, a site is a hazardous production facility (опасный производственный объект) if, among other signs, it produces, uses, processes, stores or transports by pipeline a flammable gas, a combustible liquid or gas, an oxidising or an explosive substance, or carries out mining or blasting. Such a facility:
- is identified under the authority's rules and registered with the territorial unit of the industrial safety authority (Articles 71 and 77);
- runs production control in industrial safety through its own service (Article 40);
- has an emergency response plan agreed with a professional rescue service, and runs drills, telling the authority at least 10 working days before a training alarm (Articles 80 and 81);
- trains and examines its staff and contractors in industrial safety, workers every year and managers every 3 years (Article 79);
- if it meets the declarable criteria, operates only with a registered industrial safety declaration (Article 76).
Technical devices and technologies used at hazardous production facilities may need an industrial safety expertise by an attested organisation and a permit for use from the industrial safety authority (Articles 73 and 74). No permit is needed for a hazardous technical device that has passed conformity certification, or for components and spare parts of such devices (Article 74). Whether a given Ex item falls within these requirements depends on its type and the sector rules, so confirm with the authority or an attested expert organisation.
What this means for a plant engineer or supplier
| Task | Kazakhstan | EU reference |
|---|---|---|
| Put Ex equipment on the market | EAC certificate under TR CU 012/2011 | CE under directive 2014/34/EU |
| Classify hazardous areas | Sector industrial safety rules, electrical installation rules, interstate standards based on IEC 60079 | Directive 1999/92/EC, national law, EN IEC 60079-10-1 and -10-2 |
| Document the explosion protection | Industrial safety declaration (declarable sites), production control documents, OSH risk assessment | Explosion protection document |
| Train workers | OSH training and industrial safety exams | Training under 1999/92/EC and national rules |
Example: A European supplier ships gas detectors and flameproof motors to a new gas processing unit in Mangystau. Its local representative, acting for the manufacturer under a contract, obtains EAC certificates under scheme 1c; the nameplates show EAC, the Ex sign and the Ex marking. The operator registers the unit as a hazardous production facility, updates its industrial safety declaration, and checks with an attested expert organisation whether the motors need an industrial safety expertise before commissioning.
Common mistakes
- Shipping with ATEX or IECEx only. Without an EAC certificate under TR CU 012/2011 the equipment cannot legally be placed on the market.
- Assuming the EAC mark covers the installation. Certification covers the product; zoning, selection, installation and inspection are the operator's duties under the industrial safety rules.
- Using an EAC declaration instead of a certificate. Ex equipment always needs certification.
Related on excodex
- Occupational safety and health in Kazakhstan: law, authorities and employer duties
- What is the EAC Ex certificate and is it needed for Russia and Kazakhstan?
- Ex certification in other markets: UKEX, EAC, INMETRO, CCC, PESO and others
- Which rules apply to major-hazard chemical sites in Kazakhstan?
- Tool: Ex marking check
Standards and further reading
- TR CU 012/2011 "On safety of equipment for work in explosive atmospheres", Customs Union Commission Decision No. 825 of 18 October 2011, Eurasian Economic Commission page: eec.eaeunion.org
- Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 188-V of 11 April 2014 "On Civil Protection", Articles 40, 69 to 81.
- Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 414-V of 23 November 2015: adilet.zan.kz
- IEC 60079 series, explosive atmospheres (international basis of the interstate standards).
This article is general occupational safety and health information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable legislation, standards, manufacturers' instructions or the assessment of a competent OSH professional or occupational physician.
More questions on this topic
- What is the main occupational safety and health law in Kazakhstan and who enforces it?
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- Is a written risk assessment mandatory in Kazakhstan, and how often must it be reviewed?
- How and within what time must a workplace accident be reported in Kazakhstan?
- What OSH training must employers provide to workers in Kazakhstan?
- Are pre-employment and periodic medical examinations required for workers in Kazakhstan?
- What are the penalties for breaking occupational safety rules in Kazakhstan?
- Is a safety committee or a worker safety representative required in Kazakhstan?
Part of: Occupational safety and health in Kazakhstan: law, authorities and employer duties