Many smaller businesses especially local pubs and clubs, host traditional firework displays and bonfires.

 

Although fireworks have always been a traditional part of enjoying Guy Fawkes night, they are, after all this time, still responsible for many hundreds of serious accidents every year.

 

Anyone who organises a commercial event of this nature, even if it is only a one-off event, is bound by the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and must ensure that it is organised so that it does not pose a risk of injury, either to members of the public, or, their employees.

 

As an aid to meeting the required standards, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has published an updated guide on organising public firework displays safely. This guidance ‘Giving your own firework display; How to run and fire it safely’, which was first published in 1995, has been revised to reflect significant changes in the laws governing the supply, possession, transport, storage and use of fireworks that may now have an effect on the way displays are organised.

 

The 20-page booklet is aimed at organisers, who intend to launch the fireworks themselves (rather than contract specialist display operators), but who have no specialist knowledge. In particular, it contains sensible advice on selecting a site, including how it should be set up, and on making suitable facilities available, including the provision of equipment for putting out small fires and an adequate number of stewards.

 

The guide also offers a list of contacts that organisers should consider liaising with before an event. It gives information on crowd control, storing fireworks and tips on building a secure bonfire. The guide also features general information on handling fireworks during set up and firing.

 

Giving your own firework display: How to run and fire it safely, ref HSG124, ISBN 97807 1766 1626 is priced £7.95 and is available from HSE Books, P O Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 2WA (01787 881165) or from good booksellers.  It can also be downloaded free of charge.

 

If you are considering organising your own display and are uncertain if it will meet the standards required by the Health & Safety at Work Act, why not contact our team of professional Health and Safety Inspectors for further advice.

 

We would rather visit and discuss your proposals on site before the event than have to investigate a serious accident as a consequence of a poorly managed display.

 

HSE:  Fireworks