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OrdinanceHealthLabor Law

Work Safety Ordinance [New Version], 5730-1970

פקודת הבטיחות בעבודה [נוסח חדש], תש"ל-1970

Published: 1970-08-30Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2025-10-09 · Last amended 2017-07-12✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-15
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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

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Section I: A Lift, Escalator or Pressure Plant in Premises that are not a Factory

Application of the Ordinance to Lifts, Escalators and Pressure Plant in Premises that are not a Factory§
194.
(a)Premises that are not part of a factory and in which a lift, escalator or pressure plant is used shall be subject to the provisions listed in subsection (b) as if they were a factory and as if the person using or actually occupying the premises were the occupier of the factory; however, in respect of the provisions referred to in paragraphs (3) and (4), the owner of the lift, escalator or pressure plant, and not the occupier as aforesaid, shall be responsible for any contravention thereof to the extent that they relate to matters within his control.
(b)The following are the provisions that apply as aforesaid:
(1)the provisions of Chapter I, Section A: Interpretation;
(2)the provisions of Chapter III, Section A: Machinery in General, and Section B: Construction of Machinery and Trade therein;
(3)the provisions of Chapter III, Section E: Lifts and Section E-1: Escalators;
(4)the provisions of Chapter III, Sections J, K, M and N, in respect of pressure plant;
(5)the provisions of Chapter VI, Section A: Part of a Building that is a Separate Factory, subject to modifications made by the Minister by Regulations;
(6)the provisions of Chapter VII, Section C: The Factory Register, and Section D: Duties of Workers;
(7)the provisions of Chapter VIII: Implementation;
(8)the provisions of Chapter IX: Offences, Penalties and Legal Proceedings.

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Chapter VII: Miscellaneous

Section A: Opening of a Factory

Notice of Opening or Occupation of a Factory§
195.
(a)A person shall not begin to occupy premises as a factory and shall not begin to use premises as a factory unless written notice has been given to the regional inspector at least ten days in advance, or unless the inspector has permitted in writing the occupation or use as aforesaid before the expiry of ten days.
(b)Where the factory has been transferred to the person from another and there has been no change in the nature of its operations, the person may begin to occupy it before the expiry of ten days from the giving of the notice or even before the giving of notice, provided that notice is given within one month after the transfer.
(c)A notice under this section shall specify the name of the occupier, the address of the factory, the nature of the factory and any additional particular that has been prescribed.

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Section B: Abstracts and Certificates

Display of Abstracts and Certificates§
196.
(a)At the main entrances of a factory through which workers enter, the certificates listed below shall be displayed and, where a form has been prescribed for a certificate, that form shall be displayed:
(1)the prescribed abstract of this Ordinance;
(2)a notice of the address of the office of the regional inspector;
(3)every notice or certificate that this Ordinance requires to be displayed in a factory.
(b)An inspector may direct that a certificate from among the said certificates be displayed at such places in the factory as he directs, either in addition to the display at the main entrances or in place thereof.
(c)In a factory there shall be displayed the prescribed abstract of all the Regulations applying to the factory at that time, or a printed copy of the Regulations.
(d)All the said certificates and copies of Regulations – their location, lettering and language, Hebrew or Arabic, shall be such that the workers in the factory are able to read them with ease.
(e)In respect of building and engineering construction, the provisions requiring the display in a factory of an abstract of this Ordinance or of Regulations or a printed copy of Regulations, as prescribed, shall be regarded as having been complied with if the said abstract or Regulations are displayed in every premises, workshop and office of the contractor visited by the workers employed by him in those operations, and in a condition enabling them to read them with ease.
Delivery of Copy of Regulations§
197.

The occupier of a factory shall give a printed copy of all the Regulations applying to the factory at that time to any person to whom they relate, if that person so requests.

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Section C: The Factory Register

The Factory Register§
198.
(a)A register shall be kept for a factory in the prescribed form, in Hebrew or Arabic, and the following shall be done in it:
(1)the prescribed particulars relating to whitewashing and painting in the factory shall be recorded;
(2)the prescribed particulars relating to every accident or occupational disease occurring in the factory in respect of which there is an obligation to notify the regional inspector in accordance with the Accidents and Occupational Diseases (Notification) Ordinance, 1945, shall be recorded;
(3)particulars showing every exemption granted to the factory on which the occupier of the factory is acting in reliance shall be recorded;
(4)the reports and certificates required to be appended thereto pursuant to another provision of this Ordinance shall be appended, and the particulars that are required to be recorded therein pursuant to such a provision shall be recorded;
(5)such other matters as have been prescribed.
(b)The factory register shall be kept within the factory or at a place outside the factory approved for that purpose by the regional inspector, and in respect of building and engineering construction it may be kept at the contractor's office.
Factory Register for Places Regarded as a Factory§
199.
(a)In respect of a wharf, jetty, shipyard, warehouse, building and engineering construction, every person regarded as the occupier of a factory is required to keep a factory register in relation to the workers employed by him and in respect of the provisions of this Ordinance that he is required to fulfil under sections 185, 187 or 191.
(b)In premises in which a lift, escalator or pressure plant is in use, every person using them or actually occupying them is required to keep a factory register in respect of the provisions of this Ordinance that he is required to fulfil under section 194.
(c)In a factory register kept in accordance with this section, the particulars referred to in section 198 that are relevant to the matter and that are specified in the provisions in the body of the register shall be recorded therein, and the reports referred to therein shall be appended thereto.
Preservation of Registers and Records§
200.

The factory register and every other register or record kept pursuant to this Ordinance shall be preserved and kept open for inspection by an inspector for at least two years, or such other period as has been prescribed for a particular class or description of register or record, from the date of the last entry therein.

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Section C-1: Approvals in respect of Natural Gas Consumption Installations

Approvals in respect of Natural Gas Consumption Installations§
200a.

The occupier of a factory who holds a natural gas installation to which the provisions of Chapter II-A of the Gas Law (Safety and Licensing), 5749-1989 apply shall preserve the approvals required as a condition for the use of natural gas in the installation in accordance with the provisions of the said Chapter II-A, and shall present them to an inspector or an authorised inspector, upon their demand.

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Section D: Duties of Workers

Application§
201.

The provisions of this Section shall bind every worker in a factory or in any other place to which the provisions of this Ordinance apply.

Prohibition of an Act Liable to Endanger§
202.

A worker shall not wilfully and without reasonable cause do anything liable to endanger himself or another.

Prohibition of Interference with Devices§
203.

A worker shall not wilfully interfere with or misuse any means, device, convenience or other thing provided or installed pursuant to this Ordinance for securing the health, safety or welfare of workers.

Duty to Use Devices§
204.

Where a means or device for securing the health or safety of a worker has been provided or installed for his use pursuant to this Ordinance, it is his duty to use them.

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Section E: Prohibition of Deductions from Wages

Prohibition of Deductions from Wages§
205.

In respect of anything that the occupier of a factory is required to do, supply or install pursuant to this Ordinance, he shall not on that account make any deduction from a payment he has undertaken to pay to a worker, nor shall he receive payment from a worker on that account, nor shall he permit a person employed by him to receive payment from a worker as aforesaid, unless there is another explicit provision in this Ordinance on the matter.

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Section F: Goods the Import of which is Prohibited

Phosphorus Matches§
206.

It is prohibited to import matches made from the substance commonly known as white phosphorus or yellow phosphorus.

Goods Made from Prohibited Materials§
207.

Where the use of a particular substance or the carrying out of a particular process has been prohibited by Regulations under this Ordinance, the Minister may by Regulations prohibit the import of goods in the production of which the substance or process was used.

Trade in Goods the Import of which is Prohibited§
208.

A person shall not sell, offer or display for sale, or keep for the purpose of sale, any goods the import of which has been prohibited under or pursuant to this Section.

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Chapter VIII: Implementation

Powers of Inspector§

209.

An inspector shall have the powers listed below and any other power necessary for the implementation of this Ordinance:

(1)to enter and carry out inspections and examinations by day or by night in a factory or any part thereof, if he has reasonable cause to believe that persons are employed therein;
(2)to enter and carry out inspections and examinations by day –
(a)in any place which he has reasonable cause to believe to be a factory;
(b)in any part of a building in which a factory is situated, if he has reasonable cause to believe that there are kept or stored therein highly flammable or explosive materials;
(3)to take with him a police officer, if he has reasonable cause to apprehend serious obstruction in the performance of his duty;
(4)to require that registers, notices and certificates kept or held under this Ordinance be produced before him, and to inspect, examine and copy them;
(5)to make such inquiry and examination as may be necessary to ascertain whether the provisions of this Ordinance have been complied with in respect of a factory and in respect of every person employed therein;
(6)to require from any person found in a factory such information as that person is able to give concerning the identity of the occupier of the factory;
(7)to examine, in matters arising under this Ordinance, either alone or in the presence of another person, as he sees fit, any person found in a factory or any person whom he has reasonable cause to believe to be employed in a factory or to have been employed therein within the three months preceding the examination, and to require such person to submit to examination as aforesaid and to sign a declaration as to the truth of the matters on which he is examined; provided that no person shall be required under this provision to answer a question or give evidence that may incriminate him.

Power in Medical Matters§

210.
(a)An inspector who is a medical practitioner may carry out medical examinations necessary for the purposes of his functions under this Ordinance.
(b)Any inspector may bring with him to a factory a medical practitioner for the purpose of obtaining advice on medical matters.

Taking Samples for Analysis§

211.
(a)An inspector may at any time take for analysis sufficient samples of the materials specified below, provided that he has first given notice thereof to the occupier of the factory or – if the occupier cannot readily be found – to a works manager or other responsible person in the factory (hereinafter in this Section – the occupier or his agent):
(1)a material in use or intended for use in a factory which in his opinion gives rise to a suspicion of a breach of a regulation under Chapter V or which in his opinion is liable to cause bodily injury to workers;
(2)a material in use in the manufacture of matches or which has been mixed for use as aforesaid.
(b)At the time of taking a sample, the occupier or his agent may, after furnishing the necessary appliances, require the inspector to divide the sample into three parts, to mark and seal or tie securely each of them according to its nature, and to deal with them as follows:
(1)deliver one part to the occupier or his agent;
(2)retain one part for future comparison;
(3)submit one part to the analyst.
(c)An analysis under this Section shall be carried out by a person authorised for that purpose by the Minister of Labour, but in respect of a factory in the defence establishment it shall be carried out by a person approved for that purpose by the Minister of Defence or by a person authorised for that purpose by that person.
(d)A certificate purporting to be a certificate issued by a person authorised or approved under subsection (c) as to the result of an analysis under this Section shall be admissible in any proceedings under this Ordinance as evidence of the matters stated therein, but any party may require that the person who carried out the analysis be called to give evidence.
(e)No person shall publish the results of an analysis carried out under this Section or disclose them to a person not authorised to receive them.
(f)An inspector may take a sample of raw material, or of a processed material or article, after having given notice thereof to the occupier or his agent, and may also photograph any material, installation, machine or work process; provided that the Minister of Defence or a person approved for that purpose may prohibit the taking of a sample or the taking of a photograph as aforesaid if they see security grounds for so doing.

Duty to Furnish Means for Inspection§

212.

The occupier of a factory, his agents and employees shall provide the means which an inspector has required as necessary to enable entry, inspection, examination, inquiry, the taking of samples or any other act for the purpose of exercising his powers under this Ordinance in respect of that factory.

Duty to Furnish Extract from Factory Register§

213.

The occupier of a factory shall send to an inspector extracts from the factory register as the inspector has required for the performance of his functions under this Ordinance.

Certificate of Appointment of Inspector§

214.

Every inspector shall be provided with a certificate of appointment, and when visiting a factory or any place to which a provision of this Ordinance applies he shall, if so required, show the certificate of appointment to the occupier of the factory or to any other person who has a responsible managerial function in the factory.

Grant of Certificates§

215.

A certificate under or for the purposes of this Ordinance granted by the Minister, the Chief Inspector or a regional inspector may be granted for a limited period or without limitation of time, and the authority that granted it may vary or revoke it.

Making of Regulations§

216.

A regulation under this Ordinance may be for a limited period or without limitation of time and may be subject to such conditions as the maker sees fit, and may include supplementary provisions and ancillary provisions as may appear necessary for its implementation.

Service and Sending of Certificates§

217.
(a)A certificate which is required or permitted to be served under this Ordinance may be served –
(1)on a particular person – by delivering it to him, or by leaving it at his place of residence or sending it there by post;
(2)on a firm to which the Partnerships Ordinance applies – by delivering it to a partner of the firm, or by leaving it at the firm's office or sending it there by post;
(3)on the owner or occupier of a factory, even if they are a company to which the Companies Ordinance applies or a cooperative society to which the Cooperative Societies Ordinance applies – in the manner referred to in paragraphs (1) or (2), or by delivering the certificate or a true copy thereof to a person in the factory who is apparently not under the age of sixteen.
(b)A certificate to be served on the occupier of a factory may be addressed to "the occupier of the factory", at the appropriate address for postal delivery to the factory, without any additional name or description.
(c)The provisions of this Section shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to a certificate which under this Ordinance is required or permitted to be sent to a person, a firm, an owner or an occupier.

Service of Notices on Person in Place of Occupier§

218.

If under this Ordinance a person is designated as responsible in place of the occupier or the owner of a factory, the duty or permission, as the case may be, to serve on him any notice which under this Ordinance or thereunder there is a duty or permission to serve on the occupier or the owner shall apply accordingly.

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