How are explosive atmospheres and Ex equipment regulated in Israel?

Israel has no dedicated regulation like the EU ATEX directives. Explosion prevention at work rests on general sections of the Work Safety Ordinance (explosive dust, flammable vapour, hot work on containers) and on the Israeli Standards of the SI 60079 series, which adopt the IEC 60079 standards for area classification and Ex equipment. Israel is a member country of the IECEx scheme, but we could not find a separate national certification scheme or marking for Ex equipment, so buyers should confirm which certificates the authorities and the site accept.

Short answer

• Workplace law: Work Safety Ordinance [New Version] 5730-1970, sections 95 to 99 (explosive dust, flammable vapour under pressure, welding and cutting on containers), plus fire alarm and escape drill duties where highly flammable or explosive materials are used or stored (sections 125 and 126).
• Standards: SI 60079 series by the Standards Institution of Israel (SII), adopting IEC 60079, for example SI 60079 (equipment, general requirements, published April 2023), SI 60079-10-1 (gas area classification, November 2022), SI 60079-14 (design, selection and erection, 2014, reconfirmed 2022), SI 60079-17 (inspection and maintenance, 2014, reconfirmed 2021) and SI 60079-25 (intrinsically safe systems, November 2022).
• Mandatory status: the SII catalogue pages for these parts (opened November 2026) show their status as publication in the official gazette and do not mark them as official (mandatory) standards; treat them as the recognised technical basis unless a regulation, licence, permit or contract makes them binding.
• Electrical installations: governed by the Electricity Law 5714-1954 and its regulations; among those we reviewed none is specific to hazardous areas.
• Certificates: Israel is an IECEx member country; no separate Israeli Ex marking was found; confirm acceptance of IECEx or ATEX certificates before purchase.
• Hazardous substances and gas: permits under the Hazardous Substances Law and gas installation rules apply in parallel.

What the Work Safety Ordinance requires

Sections 95 to 99 of the Ordinance are general but binding:

These rules sit beside the regulations on safety management (a risk analysis from 50 workers), monitoring of harmful agents, and the duties of the safety officer, who must check that safety devices and periodic inspections are in place.

Area classification and equipment selection in practice

Because the SI 60079 series adopts the IEC standards, Israeli practice follows the IEC zone system (Zones 0, 1 and 2 for gas, 20, 21 and 22 for dust) and equipment protection levels. SII lists these standards with the IEC text in English, in some parts with Israeli changes in Hebrew. SI 60079-14 covers design, selection, erection and initial inspection of installations, and SI 60079-17 their periodic inspection and maintenance, so the full IEC life cycle is available as Israeli Standards.

Example: A paint factory near Ashdod expands its solvent mixing room. The engineering team classifies the area to SI 60079-10-1, selects equipment with an equipment protection level suitable for the zone and the gas group and temperature class of the solvents, installs it to SI 60079-14 (IEC 60079-14) through a licensed electrician, plans periodic inspections to SI 60079-17, and records the decisions in the safety management programme. Before ordering, purchasing confirms with the authority having jurisdiction and the insurer that IECEx certificates of conformity are acceptable, and checks the SII catalogue for any SI 60079 part declared official.

What could not be verified

We could not open an official Israeli source that states a mandatory conformity assessment scheme, a national Ex marking, or rules on competence of persons working in hazardous areas. The Electricity Law regulations we reviewed cover topics such as earthing, cables, switchboards, generators, construction-site and medical installations and live working, but none deals specifically with explosive atmospheres. Employers and suppliers should confirm these points with the Ministry of Labour's OSH Administration, the electricity regulator and the SII before relying on foreign certificates alone.

Common mistakes

• Assuming ATEX applies automatically. Israel is not in the EU; ATEX certificates may be accepted in practice but are not the legal basis.
• Ignoring dust. Sections 96 and 97 of the Ordinance apply to explosive dust from grinding, sieving and similar processes.
• Hot work on "empty" drums. Section 99 forbids it until the residues and vapour are removed or made safe.

Related on excodex

• Occupational safety and health in Israel: law, authorities and employer duties
• Ex certification in other markets: UKEX, EAC, INMETRO, CCC, PESO and others
• The IECEx scheme explained
• Hazardous area zones explained: Zone 0, Zone 1 and Zone 2
• Ex equipment finder

Standards and further reading

• Work Safety Ordinance [New Version] 5730-1970, sections 95 to 99, official gazette text, Knesset, as amended.
• SI 60079 Explosive atmospheres: equipment, general requirements (2023), SII, standard page.
• SI 60079 Part 10.1 Classification of areas, explosive gas atmospheres (2022), SII, standard page.
• SI 60079 Part 14 Electrical installations design, selection and erection (2014), SII, standard page.
• SI 60079 Part 17 Electrical installations inspection and maintenance (2014), SII, standard page.
• SI 60079 Part 25 Intrinsically safe electrical systems (2022), SII, standard page.
• IECEx, member countries.
• IEC 60079-0, IEC 60079-10-1, IEC 60079-14, international reference 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.