Gas and dust in one walk
An operator can pass from a gas zone at a cracker to a dust zone in polymer handling in a few hundred metres. A Zone 1 and Zone 21 design target means the same handset covers both, subject to the marking on the certificate.
Netherlands · Dow Benelux
Explosion proof mobile phone for Dow Benelux in the Netherlands
Dow’s Terneuzen site, on the canal between Terneuzen and Ghent in Zeeland, is the largest Dow production site outside the United States. This page is for the HSE officers, instrumentation engineers and telecoms teams at a site of that kind who need an explosion proof mobile phone in the Netherlands, and want to know how gas and dust areas shape the choice of handset. The IS-04Z1 is designed around intrinsic safety rather than a flameproof enclosure.
Launching Q4 2026 · certification programme in progress
Local approvalATEXATEX 2014/34/EU · Warenwetbesluit explosieveilig materieel 2016 · in progress
AvailabilityQ4 2026via authorised distributors
The site · Terneuzen
What is classified at Dow’s Terneuzen site
Terneuzen is an integrated chemical complex: steam crackers making ethylene and propylene at the front, and a long chain of derivative plants behind them, including polyethylene and other polymers, polyols and intermediates. That mix is what makes it a good test for a handset. Flammable gas and liquid sit in the cracker and the derivative units, while polymer powder and pellet handling brings combustible dust into the same estate. The zoning for each unit lives in the site’s explosieveiligheidsdocument and is owned by the operator. What follows describes the kinds of areas such a site contains, not Dow’s own zone drawings.
Who is on the fence
- Dow operations
- Outside operators and panel operators on continuous shifts across cracker, derivative and utilities units.
- Contractors
- Maintenance and inspection firms, including Dutch turnaround contractors, working under site permits.
- Neighbouring industry
- Other companies along the Ghent to Terneuzen canal share roads, utilities and emergency planning with the Dow site.
- Port and logistics
- Ships, barges, rail and road tankers loading and unloading at the canal and the terminals.
- Authorities
- Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie and the regional environment and safety bodies, which inspect major-hazard sites together.
Classified units and areas
- Steam crackers
- Ethylene, propylene and other hydrocarbons at pressure, with furnaces and compressors alongside.
- Derivative plants
- Polymers and intermediates with flammable monomers, solvents and process gases.
- Polymer powder and pellet handling
- Reactors discharging powder, silos, conveying and bagging, where Zone 21 dust applies.
- Tank farms and loading
- Storage and ship, barge and rail loading points for liquids and liquefied gases.
- Utilities and pipe racks
- Hydrogen, nitrogen and fuel gas distribution across a large estate.
- Control rooms and offices
- Safe areas, where handsets are checked in and charged.
Built for local conditions
Explosion proof mobile phone conditions at Terneuzen, in the Netherlands
A site this size is mostly a matter of distance, weather and mixed hazards. These are the conditions that matter when the zone question has been answered.
IP ratingIP68
Battery4,000 mAh
Camera50 MP
OSAndroid 16
A large estate with open walking distances
Routes between units are long and charging is outside the classified boundary. The 4,000 mAh battery is specified to cover a full shift, and four-constellation GNSS gives a position on a site with few landmarks.
Canal-side weather
Terneuzen is flat, open and damp. IP68 sealing and rugged build are aimed at rain, hosing and handling rather than desert dust.
Camera under control
Photography is controlled on a major-hazard site. Android Enterprise lets the operator set camera and application policy from its existing console and show that it is applied.
Work here · Terneuzen
How the work is organised at Terneuzen
Turnaround01
Planned stops and the idle-unit question
Dow has publicly postponed a planned turnaround on one of the Terneuzen crackers, according to trade press reports, which shows that the stop calendar shifts with market conditions. A managed handset needs to be ready for a stop at short notice rather than on a fixed date.
Operations02
Rounds across mixed gas and dust areas
An operator’s round can cross several classifications. One handset that records readings, takes a photograph and sends a position avoids switching devices at a zone boundary.
Contractors03
Short-term crews with site permits
Contractors on a polymer or cracker job work to a permit issued that morning. An enrolled handset carries the permit and the site directory, and can be wiped at the end of the contract.
Access · Dow Benelux
What the site would ask a supplier for
We have not verified the details of Dow’s own supplier or contractor registration for Terneuzen and do not describe them. The route is to ask Dow Benelux’s procurement and HSE teams what they require. The list below is what a Dutch chemical site typically wants in front of it, and what the IS-04Z1 programme is preparing.
Documents to prepare
- Marking and certificate
- The full ATEX marking string and certificate number, once issued, for the equipment selection reasoning in the explosieveiligheidsdocument.
- Dust evidence
- Confirmation of the Zone 21 scope in the certificate, since dust is a separate part of the zoning to gas.
- Dutch documentation
- Manual, safe-use instructions and declaration of conformity in Dutch.
- Management and service
- An enrolment guide for the existing MDM, and a service route for an intrinsically safe device.
Questions · Dow Benelux
Frequently asked questions
Does Dow’s Terneuzen site need both gas and dust protection?
A site with crackers and polymer handling can have both, which is why the Zone 1 and Zone 21 design target applies. The certificate and the site’s own zoning decide where the handset may go.
How does a handset fit with existing radios?
Many sites use radios for voice, and a smartphone adds data, camera and position. Whether it replaces or complements radios is an operational decision for the site.
Can a handset be issued to contractors?
That is for the operator to decide. A managed device that can be enrolled for the duration of a contract and wiped afterwards is easier to admit than a personal device.
Enquiry · Dow Benelux
Ask about the IS-04Z1 for Dow Benelux, Netherlands
Tell us the site, the zone and gas group, and roughly how many handsets. The SAMS team replies by email with the datasheet and the certification schedule for Netherlands. The IS-04Z1 is pre-launch and certification is in progress, so there is no list price yet; indicative pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
Enquiry · Dow Benelux
Launching Q4 2026
Evaluating the IS-04Z1 for this site?
Tell us the zone, gas group and operator. We will send the datasheet and the certification schedule for your market.