Operating refineries
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.
England hosts three of the UK's four operating refineries, Fawley, Stanlow and Humber, with Pembroke in Wales the fourth. Classified areas also occur at fuel terminals, gas networks and chemical sites. Lindsey stopped refining in 2025. This page explains what to look for in an intrinsically safe mobile phone for England, 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 England: pre-launch, designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target Ex ib IIC T4), with certification in progress and no certificate issued.
Current position: certification in progress, nothing issued, launch targeted for Q4 2026. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. 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 | England: Refinery process units, Fuel terminals and tank farms, Marine oil jetties | 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.
Who operates there and which kinds of classified area a handset would meet, from the SAMS site research.
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.
Lindsey closed in 2025 after owner Prax became insolvent; Phillips 66 agreed in January 2026 to acquire assets but said it will not restart it as a standalone refinery.
COMAH 2015 is enforced by a joint Competent Authority: HSE, or the Office for Nuclear Regulation for nuclear sites, working with the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales or SEPA in Scotland.
Major-hazard sites fall under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015, with HSE publishing guidance and public information on establishments covered, so top-tier and lower-tier sites follow a further regime.
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.
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 England. Operators at Fawley on Southampton Water, Stanlow in Cheshire and the Humber site make rounds over process units, tank farms and jetties. A handheld designed for intrinsic safety suits those rounds and turnaround inspection, since photographs, readings and permits can be handled at the point of work without leaving the classified area.
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Health and Safety Executive, and in some premises local authorities, enforce DSEAR. They expect employers to carry out a risk assessment, classify areas and control ignition sources. Ask your client which assessments and records apply to your work.
Yes. HSE lists dusts from machining, sanding and foodstuffs among dangerous substances, so combustible dust areas can be classified in the same way as gas areas. Check whether your task is near flour, wood, metal or grain handling and ask for the zone classification.
England hosts three of the UK's four operating refineries: Fawley, Stanlow and Humber. Fuel terminals, gas networks and chemical sites also contain classified areas. Lindsey stopped refining in 2025. Each operator assesses its own zones, so confirm requirements with the site operator for the specific site.
More on England, and on other places in United Kingdom.
Send the site, zone and gas group and roughly how many handsets. We reply by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule.
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule.