Grangemouth
The refinery stopped processing crude in 2025 and is becoming a fuels import terminal, while the adjacent INEOS complex continues to run the UK's last operating ethylene cracker.
Scotland · intrinsically safe
Intrinsically Safe Smartphone in Scotland
Scotland has a long oil, gas and petrochemical base. Hazardous-area work arises at the Grangemouth petrochemical complex on the Firth of Forth, the Mossmorran site in Fife and the St Fergus gas terminal in Aberdeenshire. Several of these sites are in transition. If you are specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Scotland, this page covers the markings, the approvals and the current certification status of the IS-04Z1.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Marking targetEx ib IIC T4Intrinsic safety, Zone 1 / 21 design target · certification in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
Search topicintrinsically safe
DeviceSmartphone
RouteSpecification
WhereScotland
Short answer. The SAMS IS-04Z1 is the intrinsically safe smartphone covered here for Scotland: 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. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
At a glance · intrinsically safe
Checklist: intrinsically safe smartphone for Scotland
| 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 | Scotland: Petrochemical process units, Natural gas liquids plant, Gas terminals | Classified by the site operator |
Product · Scotland
The product behind this search: the SAMS IS-04Z1.
SAMS IS-04Z1
An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Scotland. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
- IP68 sealed
- 4,000 mAh battery
- 50 MP camera
- Android 16
- Zone 1 / Zone 21 design target
The site · Scotland
Scotland at a glance: who is there, what is classified
A short profile of the site and the kinds of classified area that matter for portable equipment.
Operators and companies on site
- INEOS
- Petroineos
- Shell
- North Sea Midstream Partners
Classified areas to expect
- Petrochemical process units
- Natural gas liquids plant
- Gas terminals
- Fuel import and storage terminal
Local conditions · Scotland
Conditions in Scotland that affect handheld equipment
Mossmorran
Shell's Fife NGL plant separates natural gas liquids. ExxonMobil's Fife Ethylene Plant ceased production in February 2026 and is due to be decommissioned, so activity there is shifting to closure work.
Field notes · Scotland
More about Scotland that matters for portable equipment
Scotland: rules and approvals
The North Sea Transition Authority regulates licensing, and OPRED regulates environmental and decommissioning activity for offshore oil and gas, so offshore work answers to UK regulators rather than Scottish bodies.
Scotland: background
Grangemouth Refinery on the Firth of Forth began operating in 1924 and was the only crude oil refinery in Scotland, but it has now closed; its neighbouring petrochemical complex dates from 1951.
Scotland: geography and layout
Of about 25,000 jobs directly dependent on offshore oil and gas in 2019, 98% were in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, so equipment demand and contractor skills cluster in the north-east.
Scotland: industry on the ground
In 2022 oil and gas extraction contributed an estimated 25.2 billion pounds of gross value added, about 11.8% of Scottish GDP, which keeps offshore and terminal work a major source of hazardous-area activity.
The term · intrinsically safe
What “intrinsically safe” means for a smartphone
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 Scotland. Rounds at the Grangemouth complex, Mossmorran's NGL plant and St Fergus cover process units, tanks and gas receipt areas. A handheld designed for intrinsic safety lets operators photograph and log conditions at the point of work. At sites in transition, such as Mossmorran, inspection during closure work follows the same logic.
The route · specification
Specifying an intrinsically safe smartphone for Scotland
A short checklist for anyone writing or reviewing the specification, with the IS-04Z1 status against each point.
Check on the paper
- Marking
- Equipment group, category, protection concept, gas group and temperature class, matched to the area drawing.
- Certificate and schedule
- A certificate number, issuing body and the schedule of conditions, not a brochure claim.
- Standards edition
- The IEC 60079 or national standard edition the certificate was issued against.
Check for the IS-04Z1
- Marking target
- II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4: a target, not yet a certificate.
- Certificate status
- IECEx, ATEX, UKEX and NEC 500 in progress; none issued.
- Operator approval
- Separate from the certificate and handled with the site operator.
Questions · Scotland
Frequently asked questions
Can we buy an intrinsically safe smartphone in Scotland today?
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.
What does an intrinsically safe smartphone in Scotland cost?
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.
What does ‘intrinsically safe’ mean for the IS-04Z1?
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.
Which areas at Scotland would use it?
Likely candidates are petrochemical process units, natural gas liquids plant, gas terminals, fuel import and storage terminal. Which areas are classified, and to what zone, is set by the site operator's own area classification drawings.
Is intrinsically safe the same as explosion proof?
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.
Which marking should Ex phones carry for UK offshore work?
Offshore installations in the UK sector normally expect equipment certified for explosive atmospheres under UK rules, and CE-marked ATEX equipment has been widely accepted under transitional arrangements. Operators also add their own policies, so confirm the accepted marking and any site-specific approvals with the duty holder.
Is decommissioning work a growing user of Ex equipment in Scotland?
Decommissioning of ageing North Sea installations is forecast to grow as production declines, and it involves cleaning, cutting and removal of hydrocarbon systems in classified areas. Teams often need portable communications that are certified for the area, so confirm requirements with the operator or decommissioning contractor.
Which Scottish sites are the main hazardous-area locations?
The Grangemouth petrochemical complex on the Firth of Forth, Mossmorran in Fife and the St Fergus gas terminal in Aberdeenshire. Several are in transition, so activity may be shifting. Confirm current requirements with the site operator before planning equipment.
Related guides
Keep exploring
Related guides for Scotland and for United Kingdom.
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone in ScotlandSame place, different guide
Industrial Mobile Phone in ScotlandSame place, different guide
IECEx Mobile Phone in ScotlandSame place, different guide
Hazardous Area Mobile Phone Distributor in ScotlandSame place, different guide
Explosion-Proof Mobile Phone Distributor in ScotlandSame place, different guide
Ex-Proof Mobile Phone in ScotlandSame place, different guide
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in LondonElsewhere in United Kingdom
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in CardiffElsewhere in United Kingdom
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in WalesElsewhere in United Kingdom
ATEX and IECEx Mobile Phone Distributor in Northern IrelandElsewhere in United Kingdom
United Kingdom market guideCertification route and regulators
All guides for United KingdomEvery route we cover
Certification statusWhat is in progress
Enquiry · Scotland
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Scotland, 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.
Enquiry · Scotland
Launching Q4 2026
Planning for Scotland?
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.