Guidance for Retailers
Storage of explosives (fireworks)
The Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005 (MSER) came into force
on 26th April 2005 and impose storage requirements for explosives including:
- Fireworks
- Blasting explosives
- Munitions
- Ammunition and shooters powder
- Marine flares
- Pyrotechnic flares
- Car airbags and seatbelt
- Party poppers
Failure
to meet these requirements may render anyone storing explosives liable to prosecution.
In general any person storing explosives must hold a license or registration. In
addition any person who stores explosives should do so in a safe manner.
This guidance is a summary of the requirements of a registration for the storage of fireworks when
sold in retail premises to members of the public.
Reference is made to the �net
mass� (NM) of fireworks, which is the actual quantity of explosive contained within
the fireworks. This is not the same as gross weight, which includes all the fireworks,
immediate packaging, casing etc. If you do not know the net mass of a fireworks it
is taken to be � of its gross weight. For example if the fireworks weigh 1000kg
they are taken to have a net mass of 250kg.
You are permitted to store up to 250kg
net mass of Hazard Type 4 fireworks. Most fireworks for sale in retail premises
are generally classified as Hazard Type 4 and are labeled 1.4G on their transit
boxes.
Larger type fireworks, labeled 1.3G on their transport packages, will generally
be classified as Hazard Type 3. The storage quantities and legislation for this
hazard type are different to the guidance given in this document and you should
contact the fire service for further information on the storage of this type of
firework.
If you store more than 250kg net mass of Hazard Type 4 fireworks then
you will require a license to store fireworks and not a registration.
Any person
who stores fireworks should carry out a risk assessment and take the appropriate
measures to control the risks identified.
See the Fireworks in shops: Retailers�
risk assessment checklist - PDF
Fireworks can be stored in the building
(shop) from which they are sold. However the risk of a fire involving or spreading
to fireworks is increased due to the other activities that take place in the working
environment, including the presence of members of the public. It is therefore, imperative
that control measure are put in place to prevent the accidental ignition of the
fireworks and to restrict the spread of fire. These objectives are achieved by segregating
the fireworks from sources of ignition, heat, other combustibles, flammable goods
and public access.
Methods of segregation include storing fireworks in:
- A suitable
lockable store room
- A metal ISO shipping container located outside in a secure
location used solely for firework storage.
- Fire resistant storage cupboards, cabinets
or containers used solely for firework storage.
You must ensure that the location is suitable for the quantity of fireworks that
you are storing and that the fireworks are kept in their boxes.
For any storage of fireworks you must ensure that:
- The
quantities of fireworks being stored, handled or displayed in areas where employees
work are controlled and within the weight limits
- Sources of heat such as portable
heaters are kept well away from the fireworks.
- Smoking is not allowed
- Any electrics
or lighting do not pose a risk of ignition. Electrics and lighting in display cabinets
and small containers where fireworks are stored are disconnected
- Fireworks are stored in boxes
- Fireworks are not emptied into metal dustbins � Entry into the
storeroom is restricted to employees only
- The storage area must be clean of loose
powder and unwanted packaging
- There are adequate means of escape in case of fire
- Suitable lighting present within the store room
Displaying of fireworks in the
sales area must be in a designated area away from any ignition sources and which
can be supervised by staff at all times. The fireworks must be displayed in locked
cabinets, cases or cupboards.
Under no circumstances must live fireworks be displayed
in shop windows or shelves
Display cabinets and cases must:
- Contain no more than
12.5kg �net mass� of fireworks
- Be made of material that does not catch fire readily
such as wood, metal, glass and Perspex
- Be completely enclosed on all sides and
having no gaps
- Designed to protect against sparks and other sources of ignition
- Not permit access from the public and be kept locked when unattended
- Not be used to store other goods with the fireworks
- Not contain electrics or lighting
- Kept clean and tidy
- Not located along escape routes
You must ensure that only
safe levels of fireworks are stored in the sales area
If more than 75 kgs �net mass�
fireworks and stored within or adjoining a building containing domestic or sleeping
accommodation, suitable steps must be taken to protect the residents of those premises
in the event of fire. The following specific precautions must be taken.
- A fire
detection system (linked smoke detectors) must be installed in the shop.
- The domestic
parts of the building must have access and exit routes that are fire-separated from
those used for the firework store.
- There must be suitable fire separation between
the firework store and the domestic premises (for example doors, floors and ceiling
offering 30 minutes fire resistance).
- The store must be closed off and secured
from the domestic part of the premises to prevent unauthorised access (Including
children) and also help prevent the accidental introduction of ignition sources.
Metal Shipping containers
If containers are used for storing fireworks. The following
criteria must be adopted:
- They must be kept in an area away from the public access.
- Measures must be taken to prevent smoking in the immediate area of the container.
- Where it is necessary to use land or a car park adjacent to a building it is essential
to fence off the container the fencing must be at least 3 metres from the container.
The fence will prevent arson, malicious acts and vehicles parking or colliding into
the container.
- All locking points of the container should be locked with a suitable
lock.
Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005
This legislation applies
to businesses that are manufacturing or storing explosives.
The main requirements
of the regulations are as follows:
- Anyone manufacturing or storing explosives
must take appropriate measures to prevent fire or explosion; to limit the extent
of any fire or explosion should one occur; and protect persons in the event of a
fire or explosion. These are the key requirements of the regulations and are backed
up by extensive guidance in the Approved Code of Practice.
- In most cases a separation
distance must be maintained between the explosives building and neighbouring inhabited
buildings. This is intended to ensure that risks to those living or working in the
area are kept to an acceptable level. If there is development in this separation
zone then the quantity that may be kept must be reduced.
- With certain exceptions
a licence is required for the manufacture or storage of explosives. HSE (Health
and Safety Executive) licenses manufacturing activities because of the greater risks
involved.
HSE also licenses larger explosives storage facilities. In most cases,
stores holding less than two tonnes of explosives are either licensed or registered
by the local authority or the police. HSE may not grant a licence for a manufacturing
facility or, in most cases, store until the local authority has given its assent
(normally following a public hearing). This is an important safeguard in the present
system that is to be retained.
Useful links
The Fireworks Regulations 2004
The Fireworks Regulations 2004 apply to any businesses which supply or sell
fireworks.
Under the above regulations there are restrictions on the types of fireworks
that can be sold, the periods in which they can be sold and who they can be sold
to. Failure to comply with these requirements may render a supplier of fireworks
liable to prosecution.
Defined Periods
Under the above regulations fireworks may
only be sold during the following defined periods;
- On the first day of the Chinese
New Year and the three days immediately preceding it;
- On the day of Diwali and
the three days immediately preceding it;
- During the period beginning on the 15th
October and ending on the10th November; and
- During the period beginning on the
26th December and ending on the 31st December.
If you wish to sell adult fireworks
at any other time of the year you will need to apply for a suppliers license (all
year round license). This license is in addition to a registration or licence required
for the storage of fireworks under The Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations
2005 (MSER). Please see below.
The cost of a supplier�s licence is set at �500.
Please contact us for an application form (contact details are listed below).
Age
of purchase
It's illegal to sell fireworks or sparklers to anybody under the age
of 18 with the exception of caps, cracker snaps, novelty matches, party poppers,
serpents and throwdowns.
Display of notice
There must be displayed, in a prominent
position, a notice, measuring no less than 420mm by 297mm (A3 standard paper size)
and whose letters are no less than 16mm high, stating that-
�It is illegal to sell
adult fireworks or sparklers to anyone under the age of eighteen�; and �It is illegal
for anyone under the age of eighteen to possess adult fireworks in a public place�.
Information to be provided by a supplier to The Fire Service upon request.
If, in
a single transaction, you sell a quantity of fireworks such that the total net explosive
content (the net mass) of the fireworks exceeds 50kg, you must keep a record of
the following information for production to the fire service if requested;
- The
name and address of your supplier;
- The name and address of the person whom you
are supplying;
- The date at which the fireworks were supplied to yourself;
- The
total amount of explosives contained in the fireworks supplied.
You must keep this
information for at least three years.
In addition, if you sell more than 50kg net
mass of fireworks to any person, the purchaser must show you a valid storage registration
or license certificate issued under the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations
to prove that they can legally store the fireworks.
The following fireworks must
not be sold to the general public:
- Bangers;
- Air Bombs;
- Mini-rockets;
- Fireworks
with erratic flight (e.g. ground spinners, jumping crackers, squibs);
- Aerial shells,
aerial maroons, shells-in-mortar and maroons-in-mortar;
- Fireworks intended for
professional use, marked �This device must not be sold to, or used by, a member
of the general public�; and
- Category 3 fireworks (those marked �Display Fireworks�)
that produce a sound exceeding 120 decibels.
Other measures
- All fireworks sold
to the general public must be marked as complying with British Standard BS 7114
(this sets out safety specifications and test procedures for fireworks); and
- Retail
boxes of fireworks must not be broken down for sale.
Storage and fees
The Manufacture
And Storage Of Explosives Regulations 2005 (MSER)
To store smaller quantities of
explosives/fireworks a registration under MSER is required - for example most registrations
are for shops selling fireworks during the firework season. In certain circumstances
you can store up to 250kg net explosive content (nec) of hazard type 4 fireworks.
For quantities above this weight a license under MSER will be required.
Useful Links:
Contact: Jean Murray - Threat Response Group
Tel: 0151 296 4607.
email: jeanmurray@merseyfire.gov.uk