Cold winters
Edmonton winters are cold enough that battery performance and glove use are practical considerations for outdoor work.
Of the four upgraders that process mined bitumen, Scotford is the only one not integrated with a mine bitumen plant, so it relies on feedstock supplied from elsewhere. Crude processing units, tank farms and loading areas contain classified areas where Zone 1 and Zone 2 equipment is required. This page explains what to look for in an IECEx smartphone for Edmonton refineries (Refinery Row), and where the IS-04Z1 stands against that list today.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Edmonton refineries (Refinery Row): pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Status: pre-launch. IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress and no certificate has been issued; launch is planned for Q4 2026. A buyer's engineering review is separate from the certificate. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of conformity | Number checkable on the IECEx online register | In progress; not issued |
| Standards edition | The IEC 60079 edition the certificate cites | Stated on the certificate when issued |
| Schedule of conditions | Limits of use, batteries and accessories | Published with the certificate |
| Where it applies | Edmonton refineries (Refinery Row): Refinery process units, Crude and product tank farms, Loading racks | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Edmonton Refinery. 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.
Edmonton winters are cold enough that battery performance and glove use are practical considerations for outdoor work.
Imperial's Strathcona Refinery opened in 1975, employs about 450 people and is reported at roughly 187,000 barrels per day.
A second concentration of refineries and upgraders lies around Scotford in Strathcona County, separate from Refinery Row, so the Edmonton area has more than one distinct industrial cluster.
Air quality across the Industrial Heartland is monitored by the not-for-profit Fort Air Partnership, formed in 1997, an indication of the continuous monitoring regime that operates around the plants.
Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association was founded in 1998 by Fort Saskatchewan, Lamont County, Strathcona County and Sturgeon County, and Edmonton joined in 2010.
Imperial Oil's Strathcona Refinery, next to Edmonton in Strathcona County, was built in 1975 and is listed at 191,000 barrels a day, producing gasoline, aviation fuel, diesel, lubricating oils, waxes, heavy fuel oil and asphalts.
IECEx is the international scheme for certifying equipment used in explosive atmospheres. A certificate of conformity is issued by an accredited certification body against a specific edition of the IEC 60079 standards and carries a schedule of conditions of safe use. It is not a legal requirement in most countries on its own, but many national schemes accept it as the technical basis.
The IECEx certificate for the IS-04Z1 is in progress and has not been issued. The marking target is Ex ib IIC T4, the intrinsic safety concept for Zone 1 gas with the hardest gas group (IIC) and a 135 °C temperature class.
In Edmonton refineries (Refinery Row). Contractors in the Industrial Heartland, a 582 square kilometre zone for hydrocarbon processing, may work for several operators in a year. A common IECEx certificate of conformity and schedule of conditions would give them a single reference. The IS-04Z1 is designed for that route, with certification in progress and nothing yet issued.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
SAMS has not published a price. Any figure you are offered for an uncertified Ex phone should be treated with caution; written indicative pricing is available for a defined quantity and site.
No. The IECEx certificate is in progress and has not been issued. SAMS will publish the number when it exists.
Likely candidates are refinery process units, crude and product tank farms, loading racks, wastewater treatment. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Not exactly. Explosion proof is a broad everyday term; intrinsic safety is one protection concept, which limits energy so ignition cannot occur. Flameproof (Ex d) is a different concept that contains an explosion. The IS-04Z1 is intrinsically safe by design.
It is a 582 km2 cluster of refineries, upgraders and chemical plants east of Edmonton across several counties. Because many operators share the area, contractor induction and device rules differ by plant. Confirm site requirements before mobilising.
Typically the operator checks Ex certification marking, gas group and temperature class against the area classification, and may require Canadian recognition of the certificate. Confirm accepted schemes and approvals with the site's electrical authority.
It can be planned for, but turnaround work is run under the operator's permit system, which still controls hot work and entry. An intrinsically safe handheld may support inspection records and photos in classified areas once certified. Confirm with the operator which areas, zones and gas groups apply to each task.
More on Edmonton Refinery, and on other places in Canada.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Send the zone and gas group of your site and we will reply with the datasheet and schedule.