LawLabor Law
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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Chapter IV: The Registrar and the Council
Appointment of the Registrar and Powers§
19.
(a)The Minister shall appoint, from among the employees of the Ministry, a person who shall be vested with the powers of the Registrar under this Law; notice of the appointment of the Registrar shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(b)A curriculum, including supplementary studies, upon the completion of which a completion certificate as referred to in section 6(a)(4) may be obtained, requires the consent of the Registrar.
(c)
(1)The Registrar, after consulting the Council, may recognise a certificate, degree or training from an educational institution in a foreign state as meeting the training requirements and examinations required for the purpose of obtaining a licence, if the Registrar considers that the scope and content of the studies correspond to the training requirements as referred to in section 6(a)(4);
(2)In making a decision as referred to in paragraph (1), the Registrar shall take into account, inter alia, the level of studies, the curriculum, the scope of studies and the duration of studies at the educational institution in the foreign state, in comparison with the level of studies, the curriculum, the scope of studies and the duration of studies practised at educational institutions recognised by the Vocational Training Division; the Registrar may make such recognition conditional upon passing a professional examination or upon completing training studies, or both, as the case may be.
Appointment of the Council§
20.
The Minister shall appoint a council of 11 members, which shall perform the functions prescribed for it under this Law, and its composition shall be as follows:
(1)a representative of the Senior Division for Occupational Regulation in the Ministry, who shall be the chairperson;
(2)the Registrar;
(3)the Standards Commissioner in the Ministry of Economy and Industry or an employee on that person's behalf;
(4)an employee of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, to be appointed upon the proposal of the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure;
(5)an employee of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, to be appointed upon the proposal of the Minister of Environmental Protection;
(6)an employee of the National Fire and Rescue Authority, to be appointed upon the proposal of the Fire and Rescue Commissioner;
(7)a representative of a workers' organisation representing the largest number of holders of a Grade 1 licence, Grade 2 licence or Grade 3 licence who are not practical engineers or engineers;
(8)a representative of an employers' organisation which, in the Minister's opinion, is representative in the field of refrigeration or air conditioning;
(9)a representative of an organisation which, in the Minister's opinion, represents the largest number of engineers engaged in the field of refrigeration or air conditioning;
(10)a representative of the representative organisation as defined in the Certified Practical Engineers and Technicians Law;
(11)a public representative whose principal occupation, in the Minister's opinion, is the performance of work in refrigeration or air conditioning systems.
Disqualification from Appointment§
21.
A person who has been convicted of a criminal offence or a disciplinary offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders him unfit to serve as a member of the Council, or against whom an indictment or a complaint has been filed in respect of such an offence and a final judgment has not yet been given in his matter, shall not be appointed as a member of the Council.
Term of Office§
22.
The term of office of a member of the Council, other than the Registrar, shall be four years, and the Minister may extend the term of office for additional terms of office.
Termination of Office before the End of the Term of Office§
23.
(a)A member of the Council shall cease to serve before the end of the term of office if any one of the following occurs:
(1)the member resigned by delivering a letter of resignation to the Minister;
(2)the member ceased to be an employee of the governmental ministry or a member of the body that the member represents on the Council, and if the member is a public representative – the member was appointed as a State employee.
(b)If any of the following circumstances occurs in respect of a member of the Council, the Minister shall remove the member from office before the end of the term of office and as soon as practicable after the occurrence of the circumstance, by written notice:
(1)the member was convicted of a criminal offence or a disciplinary offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders the member unfit to serve as a member of the Council, or an indictment or a complaint was filed against the member in respect of such an offence;
(2)the member is permanently prevented from fulfilling the member's duties;
(3)a condition required for the member's appointment as a member of the Council has ceased to be fulfilled.
(c)The Minister, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Council, may remove a member of the Council from office before the end of the term of office if the member was absent without justifiable cause from three consecutive meetings of the Council or from more than half of the meetings held during one year.
(d)The Minister shall not terminate the office of a member of the Council under subsection (b) or (c) except after the member has been given an opportunity to submit written representations in the matter.
(e)If a member of the Council ceases to serve pursuant to the provisions of this Section, the Minister shall act in accordance with the provisions of section 20 to appoint another member in the member's place, as soon as possible.
Validity of Actions§
24.
The existence of the Council, its powers and the validity of its decisions and actions shall not be affected by the termination of office of a member of the Council or by reason of a defect in the appointment or continuation of office of a member, provided that a majority of its members, including the Chairperson of the Council, are serving.
Procedures of the Council§
25.
(a)The quorum at meetings of the Council is a majority of its members, including the Chairperson of the Council.
(b)Decisions of the Council shall be adopted by a majority of the votes of the members participating and voting at the meeting; if the votes are equal, the vote of the Chairperson of the Council shall be the deciding vote.
(c)The Council may deliberate with an incomplete complement of members, provided that all its members were duly summoned to the deliberation and that the Chairperson of the Council was present at the deliberation at a minimum.
(d)The Council may avail itself of advisers and experts who are capable, in its discretion, of assisting in the formulation of its position.
(e)The Council shall determine its working methods and procedures for deliberation insofar as they have not been prescribed under this Law.
Functions and Powers of the Council§
26.
(a)The functions of the Council are:
(1)to advise the Minister regarding the grant of an exemption from a licence to persons performing work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system, of certain types;
(2)to advise the Registrar regarding the policy of the ministry, including with respect to recognition of certificates, degrees and training from educational institutions in foreign states, refusal to renew licences, conditioning of renewal of licences on participation in professional courses, cancellation of licences, restriction thereof, suspension thereof or extension of their period of validity;
(3)to advise the Registrar on individual applications, including recognition of a certificate, degree or training from an educational institution in a foreign state, refusal to renew a licence, conditioning of renewal of a licence on participation in a professional course, cancellation of a licence, restriction thereof, suspension thereof or extension of its period of validity;
(4)to fulfil any other function assigned to it by law.
(b)The Council may appoint, from among its members or from persons who are not among its members, sub-committees that will advise it on the matter of its functions, and with respect to its function under subsection (a)(3) – the Council may delegate its powers to a sub-committee.
Remuneration and Reimbursement of Expenses§
27.
(a)A member of the Council who is not a State employee, an employee of a budgeted body or an employee of a supported body shall not be entitled to payment from the ministry for participation in meetings of the Council, but shall be entitled to receive reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses incurred for the purpose of participation in meetings of the Council, in accordance with the instructions of the Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance applicable with respect to members of public committees; in this Section, "State employee", "employee of a budgeted body" and "employee of a supported body" – as defined in section 32 of the Budget Foundations Law, 5745-1985.
(b)A member of the Council who is a State employee, an employee of a budgeted body or an employee of the same body that the member represents on the Council shall not be entitled to reimbursement of expenses as referred to in subsection (a).
Application of Laws§
28.
Members of the Council who are not State employees shall be treated as State employees, with respect to the following enactments and with respect to their actions on the Council:
(1)Public Service (Gifts) Law, 5740-1979;
(2)Penal Law – the provisions relating to public servants;
(3)Public Service (Restrictions after Retirement) Law, 5729-1969;
(4)State Service (Restriction of Party Activity and Collection of Funds) Law, 5719-1959 – the provisions applicable to all State employees;
(5)Evidence Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971 – the provisions relating to a certificate of a public servant;
(6)Knesset Elections Law [Consolidated Version], 5729-1969.
Conflict of Interests§
29.
(a)In this Section –
"family member" – spouse, parent, grandparent, son or daughter and their spouses, brother or sister and their children, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, uncle or aunt and their children, father-in-law, mother-in-law, father-in-law (spouse's father), mother-in-law (spouse's mother), grandson or granddaughter, including such a relative who is a step-relative;
"interested party" – as defined in the Securities Law, 5728-1968;
"handling" – including making a decision, raising a matter for deliberation, being present at a deliberation, participating in a deliberation or in a vote, or dealing with a matter outside of a deliberation;
"conflict of interests", of a member of the Council – a conflict of interests between the fulfilment of the member's function on the Council and a personal interest or another function, of the member or of the member's relative;
"relative", of a member of the Council – any one of the following:
(1)a family member of the member of the Council;
(2)a person in whose financial situation the member of the Council has an interest;
(3)a corporation in which the member of the Council, a family member thereof or a person as referred to in paragraph (2) is an interested party;
(4)a body of which the member of the Council, a family member thereof or a person as referred to in paragraph (2) are directors or responsible employees.
(b)A person shall not be appointed as a member of the Council and shall not serve as such a member if, by reason of the membership, the person would, on a frequent basis, be in a situation of conflict of interests that would prevent the person from fulfilling the main part of the function on the Council.
(c)A member of the Council shall not, in the framework of the member's function, handle a matter the handling of which would cause the member to be in a situation of conflict of interests.
(d)If a member of the Council becomes aware that the member may be in a situation of conflict of interests as referred to in subsections (b) or (c), the member shall notify the Chairperson of the Council thereof as soon as possible; if the said member of the Council is the Chairperson – the member shall notify the Minister thereof.
(e)Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, a member of the Council appointed pursuant to section 20(7) to (11) may take into account also the interests of the public that the member represents, if they are related to the functions of the Council, and the member shall not be regarded as being in a situation of conflict of interests by reason of that alone.
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Contact Us →Chapter V: Supervision
Section A: Authorisation of Inspectors and Supervisory Powers
Authorisation of Inspectors§
30.
(a)The Minister shall authorise, from among the employees of the ministry, inspectors who shall be vested with all or some of the powers under this Section, for the purpose of supervising the implementation of the provisions under this Law.
(b)Only a person in respect of whom all of the following conditions are fulfilled shall be authorised as an inspector:
(1)the person has not been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders the person unfit, in the Minister's opinion, to serve as an inspector;
(2)the person has received appropriate training in the field of the powers that will be vested in the person under this Chapter, as the Minister has directed;
(3)the person meets additional eligibility conditions as the Minister has directed.
(c)Notice of the authorisation of an inspector shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
Supervisory Powers§
31.
For the purpose of supervising the implementation of the provisions under this Law, an inspector may –
(1)require any person to provide the inspector with the person's name and address and to present an identity card or other official document identifying that person;
(2)require any person involved in the matter to provide the inspector with any information or document capable of ensuring or facilitating the implementation of the provisions under this Law; in this paragraph, "document" – including a printout as defined in the Computers Law, 5755-1995;
(3)enter a place where the inspector has reasonable grounds to believe that a person is operating who performs work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system without a licence or otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of the person's licence, or that a person is employing another person to perform such work without a licence or otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of that person's licence, provided that the inspector shall not enter a place used as a residence except pursuant to a court order or with the consent of the occupier;
(4)carry out measurements and examinations, and also direct that they be preserved for a period as directed, or otherwise dealt with.
Identification§
32.
An inspector shall not make use of the powers vested in the inspector under this Section except when performing the inspector's duties and when both of the following conditions are fulfilled:
(1)the inspector is visibly wearing a badge identifying the inspector and the inspector's function;
(2)the inspector holds a certificate signed by the Minister, attesting to the inspector's function and powers, which shall be presented on request.
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Contact Us →Section B: Senior Inspector and Recourse to Auxiliary Examinations and Expert Opinions
Definitions – Section B§
33.
In this Section –
"auxiliary examination" – an examination carried out by an examiner or an expert, at the request of the senior inspector, in accordance with a checklist regarding the fulfilment of the conditions listed in the checklist;
"examiner" – an employee of an examining body whom the Minister has authorised to carry out auxiliary examinations for the purpose of assisting the senior inspector, pursuant to section 36;
"family member" and "relative", of an examiner, of an expert or of an examining body or an office holder or controlling shareholder therein – as defined in section 29(a), with the necessary modifications;
"examining body" – a corporation in respect of which the conditions under section 35 are fulfilled and with which an engagement has been made for the purpose of availing of its services pursuant to section 34(b);
"expert" – an employee of an examining body or a person with whom an engagement has been made for the purpose of availing of that person's services pursuant to section 34(b), whom the Minister has authorised pursuant to section 36 to carry out auxiliary examinations or to give expert opinions, as the case may be;
"conflict of interests", of an examiner, of an expert or of an examining body – a conflict of interests between the fulfilment of the function of the examiner, the expert or the examining body or of an office holder or controlling shareholder therein, as the case may be, and a personal interest or another function, of that person or of that person's relative;
"checklist" – a list determined by the senior inspector for the purpose of carrying out an auxiliary examination, as referred to in section 37(a)(3).
Senior Inspector and Recourse to Auxiliary Examinations and Expert Opinions§
34.
(a)The Minister shall authorise, from among the inspectors, a senior inspector who shall be vested with, in addition to the powers under Section A, also the powers under this Section.
(b)For the purpose of supervising the implementation of the provisions under this Law, the senior inspector may avail himself or herself of the following:
(1)findings of auxiliary examinations carried out by an examiner;
(2)findings of auxiliary examinations carried out by an expert and also opinions given by an expert regarding the results of such an examination (in this Chapter – expert opinion).
(c)An engagement with an examining body or with an expert for the purpose of availing of that body's or person's services as referred to in subsection (b) shall be made pursuant to the Mandatory Tenders Law, 5752-1992; however, nothing in the foregoing shall derogate from the possibility that the expert is employed by an examining body.
(d)An examining body with which an engagement has been made in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) shall report to the senior inspector on every auxiliary examination it has carried out and on the findings thereof; the report shall be signed by the manager of the examining body.
(e)An expert with whom an engagement has been made in accordance with the provisions of subsection (c) or who is employed by an examining body shall report to the senior inspector on every auxiliary examination carried out and shall give an opinion on the results of the examination; the report and the opinion shall be signed by the expert.
(f)Examiners and experts shall operate in accordance with working rules as the senior inspector shall direct.
Conditions for Serving as an Examining Body§
35.
A corporation in respect of which all of the following conditions are fulfilled may serve as an examining body:
(1)it was incorporated and registered in Israel;
(2)it, and also an office holder or controlling shareholder therein, have not been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders the corporation unfit to serve as an examining body, and no criminal proceedings are being conducted against them on suspicion of committing such an offence;
(3)it has demonstrated, to the Minister's satisfaction, that it employs examiners in the fields and to the extent required for carrying out auxiliary examinations and for meeting the timetables under this Law;
(4)it, and also an office holder or controlling shareholder therein, are not liable to be in a situation of conflict of interests, directly or indirectly;
(5)additional conditions, if prescribed in the tender or in the terms of engagement.
Authorisation of Examiners and Experts§
36.
(a)The Minister shall authorise examiners and experts in respect of whom the conditions prescribed by the Minister in Regulations pursuant to section 60(1)(c) are fulfilled, to carry out auxiliary examinations or to give expert opinions, as the case may be, for the purpose of availing of their findings, as referred to in section 34.
(b)The Minister shall not authorise as an examiner or an expert a person in respect of whom any one of the following applies:
(1)the person has been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders the person unfit, in the Minister's opinion, to be authorised as aforesaid, or criminal proceedings are being conducted against the person on suspicion of committing such an offence;
(2)the person is liable to be in a situation of conflict of interests, directly or indirectly.
(c)The Minister may refuse to authorise a person as an examiner or an expert, even if the conditions referred to in subsection (a) are fulfilled in respect of that person, for reasons that the Minister shall communicate to the person and after the person has been given an opportunity to submit written representations, if the Minister has found that there are circumstances by reason of which the person is unfit to serve as an examiner or an expert.
(d)The Minister may prescribe in the authorisation document conditions and directions regarding the manner of operation and working procedures of an examiner or an expert, including according to the types of auxiliary examinations the person is authorised to carry out, and may amend conditions and directions given regarding the manner of operation after the examiner or expert has been given an opportunity to submit written representations.
(e)An authorisation as an examiner or an expert shall be for a period as the Minister shall prescribe in the authorisation document.
Actions of Examiners and Experts§
37.
(a)For the purpose of carrying out auxiliary examinations or giving expert opinions, an examiner or an expert, as the case may be, may –
(1)enter, subject to the provisions of subsection (b), a place where the senior inspector has reasonable grounds to believe that a person is operating who performs work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system without a licence or otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of the person's licence, or that a person is employing another person to perform such work without a licence or otherwise than in accordance with the conditions of that person's licence;
(2)require a person performing work in a refrigeration or air conditioning system to provide the examiner or expert with the person's name and address and to present an identity card or other official document identifying that person;
(3)use a checklist; the checklist, including the list of official documents required for the purpose of determining the findings, shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette) and on the ministry's website;
(4)receive from any person involved in the matter documents or information appearing in the checklist;
(5)carry out examinations on a refrigeration or air conditioning system.
(b)An examiner or an expert may exercise the power under subsection (a)(1) only when all of the following conditions are fulfilled:
(1)the examiner or expert has presented the authorisation document to the occupier of the place referred to in that subsection;
(2)the written consent of the occupier of the place to the entry of the examiner or expert into the place has been given;
(3)before the giving of the consent referred to in paragraph (2), the occupier of the place was given an explanation of the purpose of the auxiliary examinations or of the examinations for the purpose of giving an expert opinion, as the case may be, and also of the right to refuse to carry out such examinations and to withdraw consent until the commencement of their performance;
(4)entry to a place used as a residence shall be only at the request of the occupier of the residence and in advance coordination with the occupier.
Duty of Information Security and Confidentiality§
38.
(a)An examining body or an expert with whom an engagement has been made in accordance with the provisions of section 34(c) is responsible for the security of information received by that body or expert and by anyone on their behalf in the course of carrying out any action by that body or expert or by anyone on their behalf pursuant to the engagement (in this Section – an action pursuant to the engagement), including prevention of misuse of the information, supervision and control over access to the information and use thereof, and security of the computer systems in which the information is held.
(b)Upon the termination of an engagement with an examining body or an expert as referred to in subsection (a), the examining body or the expert, as the case may be, shall transfer the information in their possession to the senior inspector; if information remains in the possession of the examining body or the expert after the transfer of the information as aforesaid, they shall destroy the information that came into their possession as a result of carrying out any action pursuant to the engagement, and shall notify the senior inspector thereof.
(c)An examining body and its employees, including an examiner, and also an expert, shall not disclose information that came into their possession as a result of carrying out an action pursuant to the engagement and shall not make any use thereof, except for the purpose of carrying out the action.
Revocation or Suspension of Authorisation of an Examiner or Expert§
39.
(a)The Minister may revoke an authorisation granted to an examiner or an expert or suspend it for a period to be determined, after the examiner or the expert has been given an opportunity to submit written representations, if any one of the following occurs:
(1)the authorisation was granted on the basis of false or incorrect information;
(2)a condition of the conditions for granting the authorisation under section 36 has ceased to be fulfilled;
(3)a condition of the conditions of the authorisation has been breached or a provision of the provisions under this Chapter has been breached;
(4)special circumstances exist by reason of which the examiner or the expert is unfit to be an examiner or an expert;
(5)the work of the examiner or the expert is not being performed at an appropriate professional standard.
(b)The Minister shall not revoke an authorisation or suspend it pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a)(2) or (3) except after having required the examiner or the expert to fulfil the condition or comply with the provision that has ceased to be fulfilled or that has been breached as referred to in that subsection, or to remedy what requires remedying, in the manner and within the period directed, and the examiner or expert has failed to do so; revocation of the authorisation or its suspension may be effected without such a requirement if it is not possible to fulfil the condition or comply with the provision that has ceased to be fulfilled or that has been breached.
Application of Laws§
40.
Examiners and experts shall be treated as State employees, with respect to the following enactments:
(1)Public Service (Gifts) Law, 5740-1979;
(2)Penal Law – the provisions relating to public servants;
(3)Public Service (Restrictions after Retirement) Law, 5729-1969.
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