Ireland: who works there
Irving Oil runs Ireland's only oil refinery, at Whitegate in County Cork.
The IS-04Z1 is an intrinsically safe Android handset designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21, aimed at the solvent suites and powder rooms of the Irish pharmaceutical cluster, and at the refinery, gas terminal and alumina plant that make up the rest. Vermilion Energy became operator of the Corrib project in 2018 and the majority owner in 2021, so contractor induction and device approval at Bellanaboy follow that operator's procedures. An intrinsically safe cell phone distributor in Ireland would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Ireland 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. An operator's own vendor approval is a separate step. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | Ireland: Little Island and Carrigaline, Shannon Estuary, Grange Castle and Clondalkin | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Ireland. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS Ireland market guide covers.
Irving Oil runs Ireland's only oil refinery, at Whitegate in County Cork.
The Corrib gas field lies about 83 km off the north-west coast of County Mayo and is Ireland's only domestic source of natural gas, so the Mayo coast is the country's main upstream gas location.
Moneypoint on the Shannon estuary, commissioned 1985-1987 and Ireland's largest power station at 915 MW, stopped burning coal in June 2025 and is due to run as a heavy-oil back-up plant until 2029.
Directive 2014/34/EU replaced the earlier 94/9/EC equipment directive and became mandatory for manufacturers on 20 April 2016, so older Ex devices may carry earlier markings.
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In Ireland. Pharmaceutical staff in Ringaskiddy or Grange Castle may enter solvent suites many times a shift, and refinery or terminal crews cross zones on rounds. An intrinsically safe handheld lets them record checks at the point of work. That is the design intent, pending certification and the site's approval.
SAMS is appointing authorised distributors ahead of the Q4 2026 launch. No territory has been granted for Ireland yet and applications are reviewed company by company. Because a certified Ex device cannot be opened by an ordinary phone workshop without invalidating its certificate, SAMS looks for partners who can provide competent technical support and after-sales service locally.
Not yet. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and its certification is still in progress ahead of a Q4 2026 launch. No unit goes into a classified area before the certificate covering it exists. The datasheet, the certification schedule and safe-area evaluation units are available now.
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.
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
The market guide for Ireland covers Ringaskiddy, Whitegate, Little Island and Carrigaline, Shannon Estuary, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
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 Ireland.
The Corrib gas field off County Mayo, with its onshore processing plant at Bellanaboy, is Ireland's only domestic gas production source. Other hazardous areas include fuel terminals, power stations and chemical or pharmaceutical plants. Request the operator's zone drawings before planning device use.
The project operator, currently Vermilion Energy, sets contractor and equipment requirements for the Corrib onshore plant, normally through its HSE team. Contact the site HSE office for the current induction, device registration and certificate requirements before travelling.
That depends on the zone, gas group and the site's rules. The device would need a marking suited to the classified room, and the site may add its own IT, cleaning and data rules. Ask the site's HSE team to review the evidence before bringing any device in.
Related guides for Ireland and for Ireland.
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.