How are explosive atmospheres and Ex equipment regulated in Saudi Arabia?

Ex equipment is regulated as a product by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO): its Technical Regulation for Electrical Devices and Equipment Intended for Use in Explosive Atmospheres, adopted by SASO Board Decision No. 194 of 13/3/1445 AH (28 September 2023) and published in the Official Gazette on 17 November 2023, requires a SASO conformity certificate before equipment is placed on the Saudi market. The workplace side (area classification, installation, permits) has no dedicated OSH regulation like the EU's ATEX 1999/92/EC; it falls under the general Labor Law duties, the 2025 high-risk occupations regulation and the rules of the operator and sector regulator.

Short answer

• Product rule: SASO technical regulation (اللائحة الفنية للأجهزة الكهربائية والمعدات المعدّة للاستخدام في الأجواء القابلة للانفجار), first edition 2023.
• Timing: applies 365 days after Gazette publication (so from November 2024); suppliers had 548 days from publication, until about May 2025, to bring products already on the market into line.
• Scope: equipment and protective systems for explosive gas, vapour, mist and dust atmospheres; control and safety devices outside the zone that affect safe operation; components. Group I (mines, categories M1 and M2) and Group II (other places, categories 1, 2 and 3).
• Excluded: among others, medical devices, PPE, offshore units and ships, means of transport and military equipment.
• Certificate: a SASO conformity certificate, a technical file with the supplier's declaration of conformity and a risk assessment; products carrying the Saudi Quality Mark are deemed compliant.
• Standards: the IEC 60079 series (adopted as SASO IEC 60079 parts) and ISO/IEC 80079 series, plus listed EN standards.
• Workplace: work in hazardous and explosive atmospheres is a listed high-risk activity requiring trained, licensed workers (NCOSH, 2025).

What the SASO regulation requires

The supplier (manufacturer, authorised representative, importer or anyone in the supply chain who affects the product) must meet the essential health and safety requirements in the regulation's annex, follow the conformity procedure, and keep the technical documents. Marking must be clear and permanent and include the trade name, manufacturer's address, test certificate number, the explosion protection marking according to the applicable standards, model and product name, any electrical limits, maximum ambient temperature and essential safe-use information.

Market surveillance authorities may take samples for testing, order withdrawal, recall or destruction of non-conforming products at the supplier's cost, and SASO may cancel certificates. Any change to a product during the certificate's validity, other than a purely formal one, voids the certificate and needs a new application. The supplier carries full legal responsibility, with penalties under the Commercial Fraud Law.

The regulation itself does not mention the IECEx scheme or ATEX certificates; what it requires is the SASO conformity certificate. Saudi Arabia, through SASO, is a member country of the IECEx scheme, which helps test reports travel, but an IECEx certificate is not a substitute for the SASO certificate. How existing IECEx or ATEX test reports can be used in the SASO procedure must be confirmed with SASO or a conformity body it has accepted.

The workplace side

Saudi temperatures matter: much Ex equipment is certified for an ambient up to +40 °C, while outdoor equipment in Saudi Arabia can exceed this in direct sun. Check that the marked maximum ambient temperature covers site conditions.

Common mistakes

• Shipping with ATEX or IECEx paperwork only. Equipment in scope needs the SASO conformity certificate.
• Ignoring the ambient temperature rating. Standard Ex ratings may not cover Gulf summer conditions.
• Treating the product certificate as site approval. Classification, installation and inspection remain the operator's duty.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in Saudi Arabia: law, authorities and employer duties
• Which Ex certification is needed in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf countries?
• Can Ex equipment be used above +40 °C ambient, for example in the Middle East?
• The IECEx scheme explained
• How are explosive atmospheres and Ex equipment regulated in the UAE?

Standards and further reading

• SASO Technical Regulation for Electrical Devices and Equipment Intended for Use in Explosive Atmospheres, first edition, SASO Board Decision No. 194 of 13/3/1445 AH: saso.gov.sa
• IEC 60079-0, explosive atmospheres, general requirements for equipment; IEC 60079-10-1, classification of areas, explosive gas atmospheres; IEC 60079-14, electrical installations design, selection and erection.
• ISO 80079-36, non-electrical equipment for explosive atmospheres, basic method and requirements.
• IECEx member countries: iecex.com

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.