The IEC established IECEx, the IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres. Since its inception in 1996, IECEx has grown from less than a dozen member countries to now being a truly global system comprising more than 60 approved certification bodies (ExCBs) in more than 35 countries, and has emerged to become an essential compliance assessment tool for the global Ex industry. While the initial market demand was focused on Ex equipment, the Ex stakeholders worldwide realized the need to expand the scope of IECEx beyond equipment, and into the service sector. As a result, currently the IECEx System has in place a number of Schemes that provide the global Ex community with a range of services covering: 

• equipment: IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme.
• services: The IECEx Certified Service Facility Scheme.
• mark: IECEx Conformity Mark License System.
• personnel competence: IECEx Certified Persons Scheme (CoPC)

It must be recognized that the annual and sustained growth of the IECEx System is due mainly to the large scale of stakeholders’ involvement in the day-to-day management of IECEx.