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Regulation of the Practice of Work in a Refrigeration or Air Conditioning System Law, 5785-2025

חוק הסדרת העיסוק בעבודה במערכת קירור או מיזוג אוויר, תשפ"ה-2025

Published: 2025-01-14Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-07-09 · Last amended 2025-01-14✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

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Chapter I: Purpose and Definitions

Purpose§

1.

The purpose of this Law is to regulate the practice of work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system, in order to ensure an appropriate professional standard of those engaged therein, for the protection of their safety and of the safety of the public, and for the protection of the environment.

Definitions§

2.

In this Law —

"Vocational Training Division" means the Vocational Training and Manpower Development Division responsible for the issuance of occupational certificates within the meaning of Chapter III of the Employment Service Law, 5719-1959;

"licence holder" means a holder of a licence to perform work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system in accordance with the provisions of this Law;

"Certified Practical Engineers and Technicians Law" means the Certified Practical Engineers and Technicians Law, 5773-2012;

"Electricity Law" means the Electricity Law, 5714-1954;

"Penal Law" means the Penal Law, 5737-1977;

"the Council" means the advisory council appointed under section 20;

"refrigeration or air conditioning system", "system" means a system, installation or product whose purpose is the removal of heat from a given substance or space by means of a refrigerant;

"inspector" means an employee of the Ministry whom the Minister has authorised under section 30(a);

"senior inspector" means an inspector whom the Minister has authorised as a senior inspector under section 34(a);

"Registry of Certified Practical Engineers and Technicians" has the meaning assigned to it in section 17 of the Certified Practical Engineers and Technicians Law;

"the Ministry" means the Ministry of Labour;

"work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system" means the performance of an operation in a refrigeration or air conditioning system that is of the types of operations prescribed in the First Schedule;

"refrigerant" means a gas or liquid that enables the removal of heat;

"licence" means any one of the following types of licences to perform work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system:

(1)a Grade 1 licence;
(2)a Grade 2 licence;
(3)a Grade 3 licence;

"Grade 1 licence" means a licence to perform work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system whose cooling output is up to 18 kilowatts;

"Grade 2 licence" means a licence to perform work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system whose cooling output is up to 70 kilowatts;

"Grade 3 licence" means a licence to perform work in any refrigeration or air conditioning system;

"the Registrar" means a person appointed under section 19;

"completion certificate" means one of the following:

(1)a certificate issued by the Vocational Training Division attesting to the completion of studies in refrigeration and air conditioning and to passing an examination conducted by the Vocational Training Division, comprising a theoretical examination and a practical examination;
(2)a certificate issued by the Ministry of Education attesting to the successful completion of studies in the climate control track;

"the Minister" means the Minister of Labour.

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Chapter II: Licensing

Licensing Requirement§

3.
(a)A person shall not perform work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system as set out in Column B of the First Schedule unless that person holds a licence of the type appropriate to the performance of work in that system as set out in Column A of the First Schedule, and in accordance with the conditions of that person's licence and the provisions under this Law.
(b)Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Minister, after consulting the Council, may prescribe by Order types of refrigeration or air conditioning systems in respect of which a person performing work therein shall be exempt from obtaining a licence under that subsection, provided that the Minister is satisfied that the performance of work in the types of systems referred to does not entail a risk to the safety of the public or to the safety of those engaged in performing the work; if the Minister has prescribed an exemption as aforesaid, the Minister may prescribe by such Order duties or conditions that shall apply to a person performing work in the types of systems in respect of which the exemption was granted.
(c)The Minister, with the approval of the Labour and Welfare Committee of the Knesset, may amend by Order the First Schedule.

Prohibition of False Advertising§

4.

A person shall not advertise himself or herself as a licence holder if that person does not hold a licence, and a person shall not advertise himself or herself as a holder of a licence of a particular type if that person does not hold a licence of that type.

Submission of an Application for a Licence or for its Renewal§

5.
(a)A person seeking to obtain or renew a licence in accordance with the provisions of this Law (in this Law — applicant) shall submit an application therefor to the Registrar (in this Law — licence application).
(b)The Registrar may require the applicant to provide any information or document required for the purpose of making a decision on the licence application.
(c)The Registrar shall publish on the Ministry's website the methods for submitting the licence application and a list of documents that must be attached thereto.

Conditions for Granting a Licence§

6.
(a)The Registrar shall grant a licence to an applicant in respect of whom all of the following conditions are met:
(1)the applicant is an adult;
(2)the applicant is an Israeli citizen or resident of Israel;
(3)the applicant has not been convicted of, and there is no pending indictment against the applicant for, a criminal offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders the applicant, in the opinion of the Registrar, unfit to be a licence holder;
(4)one of the following conditions is met, all in accordance with the conditions set out in the Second Schedule:
(a)the applicant holds a completion certificate;
(b)the applicant is registered in the Registry of Certified Practical Engineers and Technicians, in the refrigeration and air conditioning branch and division;
(c)the applicant has successfully completed supplementary studies, if required as set out in Column B of the Second Schedule, in accordance with the applicant's prior training and experience as set out in Column A of that Schedule.
(b)The Minister, with the approval of the Labour and Welfare Committee of the Knesset, may amend by Order the Second Schedule.

Exemption from Training§

7.
(a)The Director of the Vocational Training Division may grant to the holder of a valid electricity licence an exemption from the electricity chapter of studies within the framework of training as referred to in section 6(a)(4); for this purpose, "holder of an electricity licence" means the holder of a licence listed in paragraphs (1) to (7) of regulation 7 of the Electricity Regulations (Licences), 5745-1985.
(b)The Director of the Vocational Training Division may grant to the holder of a valid work-at-height authorisation an exemption from the work-at-height chapter of studies within the framework of training as referred to in section 6(a)(4); for this purpose, "holder of a work-at-height authorisation" means the holder of an authorisation attesting that the holder received instruction in work at height as referred to in regulations 5 and 6 of the Work Safety Regulations (Work at Height), 5767-2007.
(c)The Director of the Vocational Training Division shall publish on the Ministry's website instructions regarding the manner of submitting an application for an exemption under this section and the documents that must be attached thereto.

Period of Validity of a Licence and its Renewal§

8.

The validity of a licence shall be for five years or until 31 March of the fifth year from the year in which the licence was granted, whichever is earlier (hereinafter — validity period), and it may be renewed for additional validity periods upon the conditions of section 6 being met, except for the condition under subsection (a)(4) of that section.

Temporary Licence for a Foreign Expert§

9.
(a)Notwithstanding sections 6 and 8, the Registrar may grant a temporary Grade 3 licence to an applicant from a foreign state in respect of whom the conditions listed below are met (in this section — foreign expert), for a period not exceeding one year (in this section — temporary licence):
(1)the applicant was invited to Israel for the purpose of performing work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system whose cooling output is above 70 kilowatts;
(2)the applicant is qualified to perform work in refrigeration or air conditioning systems in a foreign state and, in the six years preceding the submission of the application for a temporary licence, performed the installation or maintenance of refrigeration or air conditioning systems similar to the systems for the installation or maintenance of which the applicant was invited to Israel;
(3)the Registrar has recognised the applicant as a reputable expert of renown in the applicant's field.
(b)The Registrar may renew the validity of a temporary licence for two additional periods not exceeding one year each.

Refusal to Renew a Licence, Revocation of a Licence, its Restriction or Suspension§

10.
(a)The Registrar may, after consulting the Council, refuse to renew a licence, make the renewal of a licence conditional upon participation in a refresher course as referred to in section 17, revoke a licence, restrict it or suspend it for a period not exceeding three years, after giving the licence holder an opportunity to present written submissions, if one of the following applies:
(1)the licence was granted on the basis of false, incorrect, misleading or incomplete information;
(2)a condition among the conditions for granting the licence under sections 6 or 9, as the case may be, has ceased to be met;
(3)the licence holder has breached a condition of the licence;
(4)the licence holder has breached a duty or prohibition imposed on the licence holder under this Law or imposed under another enactment in connection with the licence holder's activity as a licence holder;
(5)the licence holder provided the Registrar, another employee of the Ministry or an inspector who required information from the licence holder for the purpose of performing duties, with false, misleading, incorrect or incomplete information in connection with the licence holder's activity as a licence holder;
(6)the licence holder displayed a lack of professionalism or negligence that is liable to endanger human life or cause damage to property in the course of the licence holder's activity as a licence holder.
(b)Without derogating from the provisions of subsection (a), the Registrar may, after consulting the Council, suspend a licence if an indictment has been filed against the licence holder for the commission of an offence as referred to in section 6(a)(3), until a final judgment is given in the matter, provided that the Registrar considers that the gravity of the matter or the public interest so requires, and after giving the licence holder an opportunity to present written submissions.
(c)If the Registrar is of the opinion that the defect referred to in subsection (a) is capable of rectification, the Registrar may, after consulting the Council, direct that until the rectification is carried out, the licence holder shall not perform work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system as the Registrar shall direct; if the period prescribed by the Registrar has elapsed and the defect has not been rectified to the Registrar's satisfaction, the Registrar may, after giving the licence holder an opportunity to present written submissions, take measures as referred to in subsection (a).
(d)Where a licence has been revoked under subsection (a), the Registrar shall, after consulting the Council and in accordance with the circumstances of the case, direct the period of time only after which that person shall be entitled to submit a new licence application, and the Registrar may make the granting of a new licence to that person conditional upon additional conditions beyond those listed in sections 6 or 9, as the case may be, including additional training requirements.

Registry of Licence Holders§

11.
(a)The Registrar shall maintain a registry of licence holders that shall include the following particulars:
(1)the particulars of the licence holder, the type of licence held and its period of validity;
(2)the revocation or suspension of a licence.
(b)The registry shall be open for public inspection by means of a query in which the identifying particulars of the person in respect of whom the information is requested shall be stated.

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Chapter III: Duties and Restrictions on a Licence Holder and an Operator

Prohibition on Transfer of a Licence§

12.

A licence is personal; a licence holder shall not transfer the licence held to another person and shall not permit another person to make use of that licence.

Duty to Comply with a Standard§

13.

A licence holder shall perform work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system listed in the First Schedule in accordance with Parts 4 and 5 of Israeli Standard SI 994, as amended from time to time.

Duty to Present a Licence§

14.

A licence holder shall present the licence to a person who commissioned work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system, upon that person's request.

Duty to Report to the Registrar§

15.

The Registrar may require a licence holder to report particulars in connection with the licence holder's practice as a licence holder, as directed, and to provide any information or documents required for the purpose of implementing the objectives of this Law, including as a condition for the renewal or extension of a licence, and the licence holder shall provide such information or documents.

Duty to Update Particulars§

16.

A licence holder shall notify the Registrar of any change in the particulars provided in the licence application, in the manner directed by the Registrar, within 30 days from the date of the change.

Duty to Participate in Refresher Courses§

17.
(a)A licence holder shall participate, during the final year of the validity period of the licence, in refresher courses under the supervision of the Ministry, conducted by the Registrar or recognised by the Vocational Training Division, of at least eight hours in scope, in the field of the licence holder's practice under the licence, at the times directed by the Registrar, and shall meet the requirements of those refresher courses.
(b)In addition to the refresher courses under subsection (a), the Registrar may require a licence holder to participate in a particular refresher course conducted by the Registrar or recognised by the Vocational Training Division, after consulting the Council, if the Registrar finds that circumstances exist that justify doing so and that participation is required for the purpose of training the licence holder and implementing the objectives of this Law; notice under this subsection shall be given to the licence holder a reasonable time before the date of the refresher course.
(c)The Registrar may, after consulting the Council, extend the validity period of a licence holder who has not fulfilled the duty to participate in a refresher course under subsection (a) or (b), in special cases and under justified circumstances, for a period not exceeding three months, for the purpose of fulfilling the duty.
(d)The duty to participate in a refresher course and to meet its requirements under this section shall be deemed a condition of the licence of the licence holder.
(e)The Registrar shall ensure the existence, including through another party, and availability of refresher courses.
(f)The Registrar shall publish refresher courses conducted by the Registrar and refresher courses recognised by the Vocational Training Division under this section on the Ministry's website, a reasonable time before the date of the refresher course.

Duties of an Operator§

18.
(a)An operator shall not employ a person in the performance of work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system unless that person holds a licence of the type appropriate to the performance of work in that system.
(b)An operator shall ensure that a licence holder employed by the operator performs work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system as set out in the First Schedule in accordance with the standard as referred to in section 13, inter alia by means of instructions, briefings or procedures and the conduct of sample checks.
(c)In this section, "operator" means a person who regularly employs another person in the performance of work in refrigeration or air conditioning systems, whether or not the operator is a licence holder, including a person who is the owner or manager of a business offering the performance of work in refrigeration or air conditioning systems to the public.

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חוק הסדרת העיסוק בעבודה במערכת קירור או מיזוג אוויר, תשפ"ה-2025

refrigeration law

air conditioning law

HVAC law

cooling systems law

refrigeration work regulation

air conditioning work regulation

cooling system technician law

industrial refrigeration law

HVAC technician regulation

refrigeration licensing law