EU aims at improving fireworks safety
by di-ve news
BRUSSELS, Malta (di-ve news) -- October 15, 2005 --1300CEST --The European Commission has proposed to replace some 25 parallel national approval procedures of fireworks and airbags by one single EU directive. The EU feels that better regulation will lead to a considerable reduction in costs for the industries concerned and ensure that essential safety requirements for pyrotechnic articles are respected throughout the whole Union.
The EU is aiming at reducing the risk of accidents caused by malfunctions and to increase consumer safety as sub-standard pyrotechnic articles will no longer be available on the EU market.
In Malta, the usually festive summer period was marred by the death of no less than five men in the space of four months, all after being injured in fireworks related accidents, raising questions about the safety of Malta's fireworks factories and the whole industry. Presently, in Malta there are around 40 fireworks factories, the majority of which belong to band clubs while some are privately owned. In some villages there are up to two factories belonging to rival band clubs.
In the case of Malta, material used in the manufacture of pyrotechnics is imported by specialised importers and manufacturers but potassium chlorate and potassium nitrate are stored in a central place under the supervision of the Armed Forces of Malta. The material is then distributed according to a pre-set quota to each fireworks factory. Each factory can take up to a 400kg a month of these two substances.
By now, the licences procedure is according to national regulations and the EU does not get into this. The Government of Malta issues Category A licences for persons qualified to manufacture and supervise the manufacture of fireworks, Category B licences for assistants to persons holding licence A, and Category C licences for persons authorised to let off fireworks under the supervision of a person in possession of a Category A licence.
Safety regulations in Malta stipulate that fireworks factories must consist of a cluster of small individual buildings separated from each other, that no unlicensed persons shall enter the factories, that passers-by shall be warned of a fireworks factory in the vicinity and that the minimum rules and distances are observed.
After the 1976 Seveso accident, the EU had come up with the Seveso directive introducing requirements for safety management systems, emergency plans, land-use planning and a reinforcement of inspections to be carried out by Member States. The directive however is only applicable for factories storing over 50 tonnes of fireworks and as a result, the law does not apply to fireworks factories in Malta.
However, following a major fireworks accident in the Netherlands in May 2000, the EU proposed various changes to the directive including a threshold of 5 tonnes down from the previous 50 tonnes (Seveso II Directive).
The EU market for fireworks is estimated at around 1.4 billion Euros, but few fireworks are manufactured in the EU.
The new Commission proposal now includes safety requirements related to physical and chemical stability; the compatibility of all components; resistance to normal, foreseeable handling and transportation; resistance against water and low and high temperatures; safety features to prevent untimely or inadvertent initiation or ignition; suitable instructions in the official language or languages of the recipient Member State; and ability to withstand deterioration.
Manufacturers will be obliged to comply with these requirements, which in return give them the right to affix the CE marking and access to the internal market.
At the same time, taking into account the variety of different national regulations on the marketing and use of fireworks, the proposal leaves the possibility for Member States to maintain their own regulations as far as the minimum age and the marketing and use of certain categories of fireworks are concerned.
The EU said that the intention of the proposal is to deal with product characteristics, not with questions arising from the storage and manufacture of pyrotechnic articles. That aspect is already being dealt with in the framework of Council Directive 96/82/EC (Seveso II Directive) aimed at the prevention of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances and at the limitation of the consequences of such accidents for people and the environment.
by di-ve news
BRUSSELS, Malta (di-ve news) -- October 15, 2005 --1300CEST --The European Commission has proposed to replace some 25 parallel national approval procedures of fireworks and airbags by one single EU directive. The EU feels that better regulation will lead to a considerable reduction in costs for the industries concerned and ensure that essential safety requirements for pyrotechnic articles are respected throughout the whole Union.
The EU is aiming at reducing the risk of accidents caused by malfunctions and to increase consumer safety as sub-standard pyrotechnic articles will no longer be available on the EU market.
In Malta, the usually festive summer period was marred by the death of no less than five men in the space of four months, all after being injured in fireworks related accidents, raising questions about the safety of Malta's fireworks factories and the whole industry. Presently, in Malta there are around 40 fireworks factories, the majority of which belong to band clubs while some are privately owned. In some villages there are up to two factories belonging to rival band clubs.
In the case of Malta, material used in the manufacture of pyrotechnics is imported by specialised importers and manufacturers but potassium chlorate and potassium nitrate are stored in a central place under the supervision of the Armed Forces of Malta. The material is then distributed according to a pre-set quota to each fireworks factory. Each factory can take up to a 400kg a month of these two substances.
By now, the licences procedure is according to national regulations and the EU does not get into this. The Government of Malta issues Category A licences for persons qualified to manufacture and supervise the manufacture of fireworks, Category B licences for assistants to persons holding licence A, and Category C licences for persons authorised to let off fireworks under the supervision of a person in possession of a Category A licence.
Safety regulations in Malta stipulate that fireworks factories must consist of a cluster of small individual buildings separated from each other, that no unlicensed persons shall enter the factories, that passers-by shall be warned of a fireworks factory in the vicinity and that the minimum rules and distances are observed.
After the 1976 Seveso accident, the EU had come up with the Seveso directive introducing requirements for safety management systems, emergency plans, land-use planning and a reinforcement of inspections to be carried out by Member States. The directive however is only applicable for factories storing over 50 tonnes of fireworks and as a result, the law does not apply to fireworks factories in Malta.
However, following a major fireworks accident in the Netherlands in May 2000, the EU proposed various changes to the directive including a threshold of 5 tonnes down from the previous 50 tonnes (Seveso II Directive).
The EU market for fireworks is estimated at around 1.4 billion Euros, but few fireworks are manufactured in the EU.
The new Commission proposal now includes safety requirements related to physical and chemical stability; the compatibility of all components; resistance to normal, foreseeable handling and transportation; resistance against water and low and high temperatures; safety features to prevent untimely or inadvertent initiation or ignition; suitable instructions in the official language or languages of the recipient Member State; and ability to withstand deterioration.
Manufacturers will be obliged to comply with these requirements, which in return give them the right to affix the CE marking and access to the internal market.
At the same time, taking into account the variety of different national regulations on the marketing and use of fireworks, the proposal leaves the possibility for Member States to maintain their own regulations as far as the minimum age and the marketing and use of certain categories of fireworks are concerned.
The EU said that the intention of the proposal is to deal with product characteristics, not with questions arising from the storage and manufacture of pyrotechnic articles. That aspect is already being dealt with in the framework of Council Directive 96/82/EC (Seveso II Directive) aimed at the prevention of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances and at the limitation of the consequences of such accidents for people and the environment.
Having said this, many reputable pyros in Malta share his same views and some work hard to achive top safety.