Regulation
DSEAR applies, and the UK recognises CE marking alongside UKCA for Great Britain, with the recognition period currently running to 31 December 2027.
DSEAR duties fall on employers and the self-employed and also protect members of the public who may be put at risk by work activity, so contractors share responsibility with site owners. Lindsey stopped refining in 2025. Distribution partners for England are being identified ahead of the Q4 2026 launch of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. England has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
For the record, no certificate exists for the IS-04Z1 today. The programme is under way ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Zone | 0, 1 or 2 for gas; 20, 21 or 22 for dust | Designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 |
| Gas group | IIA, IIB or IIC | IIC (target) |
| Area drawing | The operator's own classification drawing | Decided by the site operator |
| Where it applies | England: Marine oil jetties, Petrochemical units, Refinery process units | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in England. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The companies on site and the hazardous-area types a handset is likely to meet there.
DSEAR applies, and the UK recognises CE marking alongside UKCA for Great Britain, with the recognition period currently running to 31 December 2027.
Reported capacities are roughly 270,000 barrels a day at ExxonMobil's Fawley on Southampton Water, about 296,000 at Stanlow in Cheshire and about 221,000 at Phillips 66's Humber site in North Lincolnshire.
Employers must identify and classify areas where explosive atmospheres may occur and avoid ignition sources, for example from unprotected equipment, in those areas.
HSE lists dangerous substances as including solvents, paints, varnishes, flammable gases such as LPG, dusts from machining, sanding and foodstuffs, pressurised gases and substances corrosive to metal.
In Great Britain, the 2016 EPS Regulations implement the ATEX equipment directive, and the UK government has extended recognition of goods meeting EU requirements, including CE marking, indefinitely beyond 2024 for many products, in force from 1 October 2024.
The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002, known as DSEAR, require employers to control risks to safety from fire, explosion and substances corrosive to metals in the workplace.
A hazardous area is a place where flammable gas, vapour or combustible dust may be present. Standards divide these into zones: Zones 0, 1 and 2 for gas and vapour, and Zones 20, 21 and 22 for dust. Zone 1 and Zone 21 are the tier where an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation, which is where the IS-04Z1 is designed to work. Anything carried in must be marked for the zone, gas group and temperature class of the area.
No certificate has been issued for the IS-04Z1 yet, so it must not be taken into a classified area until the certificate covering it exists and the site operator has accepted it.
In England. England's classified areas include refinery process units, fuel terminals and tank farms, marine oil jetties and petrochemical units. The employer classifies them under DSEAR, not SAMS. Lindsey stopped refining in 2025, so its activity differs from the three operating English refineries, and terminals and gas networks add smaller classified areas elsewhere.
A distributor for England would carry the IS-04Z1 after certification completes; the Q4 2026 launch is the planning date and no appointment has been made. SAMS reviews applicants one by one and prefers companies with their own Ex-competent technical and service staff, since certified devices must not be repaired outside approved channels.
No. Nothing can be bought or taken into a classified area today: certification is in progress and launch is planned for Q4 2026. What is available now is the datasheet, the written certification schedule and evaluation units for safe-area use.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Zone 1 and Zone 21 (gas and dust) with gas group IIC and temperature class T4, subject to certification. It must not be used in a classified area before its certificate is issued and the site has accepted it.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, fuel terminals and tank farms, marine oil jetties, petrochemical units. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for England.
COMAH applies to major-hazard sites such as large chemical and fuel storage establishments and adds management duties on top of DSEAR. Each operator typically sets its own rules for portable electronics, so check the site's permit and induction requirements.
The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 require employers to classify hazardous areas and avoid ignition sources. Equipment choice is then based on the zone, gas group and temperature class, so ask the site for its hazardous-area register.
Guidance says CE marking is recognised alongside UKCA for Great Britain, with the recognition period currently running to 31 December 2027, and that date may change. Buyers should check the current gov.uk guidance and ask their operator's procurement team what evidence they require.
More on England, and on other places in United Kingdom.
Tell us what you need to equip and where. The SAMS team answers by email with the datasheet and where each certification route stands.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.