Preparing an industrial installation during routine times is an indispensable precondition for its ability to cope with the difficult situations that emergencies produce.

Every factory manager, with the help of the individual in charge of civil defense in the factory and other personnel, must promote and enforce the codes and directions below, in accordance with the specific features and qualities of his factory, so that s/he and the factory will be better able to cope with various emergency scenarios.

Section 1 of the 5711-1951 Civil Defense Law interprets “civil defense” to mean the measures taken for the purpose of defending against any attack or risk of attack on the civilian population or for the purpose of minimizing the effects of such an attack, excluding weaponry not intended for self-protection.

Some industrial installations have been recognized by the State of Israel as essential in wartime. Therefore, and in accordance with procedure, they have been declared “essential industries” by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor. Others are defined as keeping hazardous materials by the Ministry of the Environment. Preparing for an emergency is essential and required by every factory, each in its own particular way.

Under various circumstances, such as events affecting security or as a result of natural disasters, the alert level is liable to rise in both among civilians and security forces.

An emergency, such as a fire, a bombing, a missile hit, a katyusha hit, or a natural disaster, is liable to affect continued production in the factory.

When we anticipate an impending emergency, we enter an ongoing emergency situation, i.e. a period of time in which emergencies that would cause great difficulties to the continued production of the factory might occur. Examples of such difficulties are worker absenteeism (because of reserve duty, security events, or even the suspension of the school system), difficulties in obtaining raw materials, etc.