New Safety Rules at Construction Sites to Take Effect on October 16

Responsibility Will Be Divided Among Project Participants

In the past, primary criminal liability at construction sites was imposed almost exclusively on site managers. Duties will now also be imposed on construction clients, developers, contractors, and other officeholders, whose appointments must be reported to the Safety Administration at the Ministry of Labor. The construction client will not be permitted to allow work to begin without a completed safety plan and without resources for its implementation agreed upon with the contractor.

New Supervisors and Deadlines for Addressing Risks

The developer must appoint a safety supervisor with the professional qualifications established in the rules, including when the developer itself carries out the construction work. The supervisor must visit the site regularly and report risks to the construction client, which must ensure that they are addressed within 48 hours. At sites covering more than 15,000 square meters, the contractor must also appoint a site manager—a registered engineer or practical building engineer.

A Safety Plan Will Be Mandatory at Every Site

An organizational safety plan will also be required at small construction sites. It must describe the site and the work, the division of responsibilities, the safety policy, resources, the permitted risk level, emergency response procedures, equipment inspections, and training procedures. The safety officer must report a detected hazard in writing within 48 hours, and in the event of a life-threatening violation, must stop the work and immediately notify the Ministry of Labor.

Training Foreign Workers and Working at Height

New foreign workers in the construction industry must undergo eight hours of in-person training in their own language on risks related, among other things, to working at height, electricity, and scaffolding. Some workers already in Israel have been given a period of three months, while new workers arriving later will be required to complete the training within one month; workers who have been in the country for more than 18 months are exempt from this requirement. Workers exposed to a risk of falling from a height of two meters or more will be required to undergo training appropriate to the specific types of work they perform, rather than only general instruction.

Requirements for Instructors

A working-at-height instructor must operate on behalf of a training institution recognized by the Ministry of Labor, hold a valid certification, and be registered in the site managers’ registry. Instructors trained by May 19, 2026, must complete a 40-hour refresher course within two years. Authorization for a worker to perform work at height must be signed by both the instructor and the director of the training institution.

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