How are explosive atmospheres and Ex equipment regulated in Iraq?

Iraq has no regulation specific to explosive atmospheres and no national Ex equipment certification scheme that we could identify, comparable to the EU ATEX directives. Explosion risks fall under the general duties of the Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 to protect workers against hazards from work and machinery. In practice, oil, gas and petrochemical owners impose hazardous area classification to IEC 60079-10-1 and Ex equipment certified under IECEx or ATEX through their contract specifications.

Short answer

• No ATEX-equivalent law found in Iraq: no national rules on zoning, an explosion protection document or Ex equipment certification.
• General duties apply: protection against hazards from work and machinery (Article 118), safety verification of dangerous machinery by bodies authorised by the National Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (Article 114(2)), emergency planning (Article 114(2)).
• Standards body: the Central Organization for Standardization and Quality Control, COSQC (الجهاز المركزي للتقييس والسيطرة النوعية), issues Iraqi standards and conformity certificates and organises technical inspection of machinery; check import requirements for your product with it.
• Industry practice: IEC 60079 series for classification, selection, installation and inspection; equipment with IECEx Certificates of Conformity or ATEX certification as specified by the owner.
• IECEx: Iraq is not among the IECEx member countries listed by IECEx (checked November 2026); owners can still require IECEx certificates by contract.
• Environment: oil and gas exploration and production operators must give the Ministry of Environment the causes of fires, explosions, leaks and pipeline accidents (Law No. 27 of 2009, Article 21).

What applies legally

The Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 (قانون العمل رقم 37 لسنة 2015) contains no provisions on flammable gases, vapours or dusts. Its general duties still cover explosion hazards: the employer must protect workers against occupational hazards and dangers from work and machinery (Article 118), keep a safe working environment and organise emergency plans (Article 114(2)), and have harmful machinery and equipment verified by reports from bodies authorised by the National Centre for OSH, under ministerial instructions (Article 114(2), item 9). In quarries and mines, workers must be kept away from blasting sites until the danger has passed (Article 110).

COSQC's published functions include adopting Iraqi standards, issuing conformity certificates and the quality mark, and organising technical inspection of machines and equipment. We did not find an Iraqi standard or regulation that makes Ex certification mandatory. Iraq is not an IECEx member country, so there is no Iraqi national body in the scheme, but an IECEx Certificate of Conformity issued elsewhere can still be specified and checked online by the owner.

What owners and contractors do in practice

Most hazardous areas in Iraq are in oil and gas fields, refineries, gas plants, terminals and petrochemical sites, run by state companies and international operators. Their project specifications normally require:

Example: A supplier ships gas detectors to a gas processing plant in Basra. The owner's specification requires IECEx certification for Zone 1, gas group IIB and temperature class T4. The supplier provides the IECEx certificate, the manufacturer's declaration and the Iraqi import conformity documents, and the installer works to IEC 60079-14. None of this is set by an Iraqi Ex regulation; it is enforced through the contract and the employer's general duty under the Labour Law.

Common mistakes

• Concluding that non-Ex equipment is acceptable because there is no Iraqi ATEX law.
• Assuming an ATEX certificate is always enough: some owners specify IECEx, others accept both; read the specification.
• Forgetting inspection and maintenance under IEC 60079-17 once the plant is running.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in Iraq: law, authorities and employer duties
• The IECEx scheme explained: CoC, ExTR, QAR and the online certificate database
• Is IECEx certification a legal requirement anywhere?
• How to carry out a gas hazardous area classification step by step (IEC 60079-10-1)
• Ex equipment tools

Standards and further reading

• Labour Law No. 37 of 2015 (قانون العمل رقم 37 لسنة 2015), Articles 110, 114, 118; unofficial English translation: alnoor.edu.iq
• COSQC, functions: cosqc.gov.iq
• IECEx, member countries and member bodies: iecex.com
• Law No. 27 of 2009 on the Protection and Improvement of the Environment, Article 21: faolex.fao.org
• IEC 60079-10-1 and IEC 60079-10-2: classification of areas for gas and dust atmospheres.
• IEC 60079-14, IEC 60079-17, IEC 60079-19: installation design, inspection and maintenance, repair of Ex equipment.

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.