New COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards) rules become effective in April 2010

7 February 2010 by Jim Bennett

In 2008 the COMAH Competent Authority (CA) initiated a fundamental review of its approach to regulating onshore major hazards in the UK – the CA has remodelled its key regulatory processes, and will implement a series of changes in April 2010.

Improvements include a better national coordination of the CA’s priorities, improving performance monitoring against existing, and emerging new priorities, and ensuring that the CA continues to focus on the right issues.

The Competent Authority comprises three organisations: the Health Safety Executive (HSE), the Environment Agency (EA – for England and Wales) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). These three organisations are responsible for the enforcement of the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations.

The Competent Authority Strategic Management Group (CASMG) will meet quarterly, setting a strategic direction and plan of work for the CA s a whole. It will be responsible for reporting back publicly on progress both in the UK and to the European Union.

For more information – click here 

In Scotland we are reviewing our regulatory environment as described in the “Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Bill: Consultation Paper” 
The principle is to facilitate moving from an ‘enforcement model to and enabling environment’. – Please forward comments to the Branch Secretary.

Guidance on Testing and Exercising Business Continuity

28 December 2009 by Jim Bennett

The below link will give access to the BSI Published Document (PD 25666:2009) and relates to guidance on testing and exercising business continuity, emergency planning and general contingency arrangements. Although Information Technology is specifically mentioned, it is intended that the guidance can be used by any agency to test and validate their suite of plans. The document has been designed to aid the delivery of cost effective and efficient testing of all exercising formats and includes the following:

•  A full glossary
• Exercise programme management
• Initiating testing and exercising programmes
• The different types of exercises
• Preparing to test and exercise
• Advice on conducting exercises
• Exercise debriefing
• Exercise roles and responsibilities
• A future full bibliography

 Consultation link

Testing and exercising is a critical area in all emergency management and business continuity arrangements and forms essential components of the profession. It is advisable that this document is read alongside other guidance that relates to testing and validation planning arrangements, some of which can be found at:

Guidance on Training Exercises   

and Planner’s Guide

SIFE will prepare and provide a submission on any comments on PD25666:2009 made by members. Please respond by 15^th February 2010.

SIFE/BAFSA Technical Sprinkler Seminar: 20.01.10

4 November 2009 by Jim Bennett

The Scottish IFE Branch and the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA) will be hosting a Sprinkler Seminar on Wednesday the 20th January 2010 from 0930 hrs to 1600hrs. Registration is from 0930hrs.

The Venue is:

The National Library of Scotland, (Causewayside Building), 33 Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SL

The Seminar is to be opened by The Minister for Community Safety, Fergus Ewing, MSP

Speakers include:

Bill Stewart: International President IFE (link) , City of Toronto Fire Chief (link)

Nick Groos : Chairman of International Fire Sprinkler Association (link)

Alan Brinson : Executive Director of European Fire Sprinkler Network (link)

Ian Gough : British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (link)

Allan McPherson : FM Global (link)

Bill Jackson :  Estates Manager National Libraries of Scotland (link)

Bookings for this BAFSA sponsored event may be made via the SIFE Branch Secretary Jim Bennett, scretary@ife-scotland.org.uk Tel: 0141 353 9331

 

The Scotland Together Report

by Jim Bennett

A report commissioned by the Scottish Government reveals there were 131 accidental fire deaths in homes recorded in a survey between April 2005 and March 2008. Of these, 72% involved properties with no working smoke detectors.

The Scotland Together report is the result of research carried out by Government officials and fire service experts headed by Brian Sweeney, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue’s chief officer
The research – the most detailed ever undertaken – produced 37 recommendations including providing sprinkler systems to “at risk” households. Fire officers believe sprinklers would have prevented 80% of the deaths recorded in the survey.

Main Recommendations:

• A “root and branch” review of the Home Fire Safety Visit system including the introduction of points system to target those who are most at risk.
• Establish a multi-agency Safer Scotland Unit toco-ordinate community safety.
• Issue a “sprinkler challenge” to assess how Scotland can develop an affordable domestic sprinkler system.
• Support the extension of fire detection requirements in building standards
  Introduce “reduced ignition propensity cigarettes” – which are self-extinguishable and considered safer.
• Start multi-agency Fatal Fire Case Conferences to investigate blaze deaths.
• Work more closely with health agencies to establish an effective referral system to signpost those most at risk.
• Work with the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland to investigate an under-reporting of secondary fires

The report backs moves to extend the current requirements of smoke detection being fitted in newly built and converted homes by fitting additional smoke detection in principal habitable rooms, such as the living room and bedrooms.

It also recommends Scotland supports a European standard for “reduced ignition propensity cigarettes” – those that go out quickly if unattended and which are less likely to set fire to soft furnishings such as sofas and beds. The study estimates that up to 36 lives could have been saved had such cigarettes been mandatory in Scotland since 2005

ICL Disaster Report Update

1 October 2009 by Jim Bennett

Update from   Yvette Cooper (Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions; Pontefract & Castleford, Labour)

On 16 August I announced the publication of Lord Gill’s report into the causes of the tragic factory explosion at ICL Plastics Ltd in Glasgow on 11 May 2004. At the same time I asked the Chair of the HSE and its board to consider the report’s findings and to report back to me on progress by the end of September, addressing both Lord Gill’s criticisms of its actions since the explosion and how the report’s recommendations could be taken forward. I said that I would report back to Parliament on progress in the autumn.

The HSE has now responded to me. I have placed a copy of its response in the Libraries of both Houses and it is also available on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/lpg.htm .

In the response the HSE chair acknowledges that, while primary responsibility for the tragic accident rested with the site user, there were failings within HSE which need to be addressed. The chair also reiterates the apologies that both she and the chief executive of HSE made for these failings both during and after Lord Gill’s inquiry, and explains the steps that have already been taken since the accident.

HSE has worked closely with members of UKLPG, the trade association of the liquefied petroleum gas industry, to develop plans for the replacement of buried metal pipework with polyethylene pipes, which do not carry the risk of corrosion. It has been agreed that the replacement programme will include domestic sites, which goes beyond Lord Gill’s recommendations. The programme, which is scheduled to be completed by 2015, will be prioritised using an established risk model to ensure that sites identified as high risk are dealt with first. In parallel with this, HSE is also preparing an inspection campaign with local authorities focusing on sites identified as high risk, and is working with the industry to review and update user guidance materials and codes of practice for suppliers and installers.

The HSE also launched a two-stage consultation to address those recommendations of the Gill report where action is not already underway. The initial stage of the consultation seeks views from interested stakeholders in the LPG industry, the wider business community, and those with an interest in health and safety, and will run until 19 November. I hope hon. Members will take the opportunity to feed their views into this.

Following completion of this initial stage, the Government will in the new year publish the full response to Lord Gill’s report. This will include firm proposals for action which will form the basis of the second stage of the consultation, supported by a formal impact assessment

Managing Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Risks

27 August 2009 by Jim Bennett

Business Protection Seminar –
Managing Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear risks
8 October, 2009, Leicester Square, London 8:30 am – 11:00 am

For more information please click here

Logistic Operations for Emergency Supplies

26 August 2009 by Jim Bennett

Logistic Operations for Emergency Supplies: Guidance for emergency planners (PDF format, 400 Kb)

This document aims to provide a common understanding of options available to emergency planners for the coordination, prioritisation and acquisition of emergency supplies.

Hazardous Installations: Development Planning Advice

19 August 2009 by Jim Bennett

The Health and Safety Executive  have issued Planning Advice for Developments near Hazardous Installations.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/landuseplanning/padhi.pdf

European Homeland Security: Bureaucratic Politics and Policymaking in the EU

12 August 2009 by Jim Bennett

Article Abstract

Mark Rhinard, Swedish Institute of International Affairs
Arjen Boin, Louisiana State University

In the face of modern crises, the European Union (EU) has increased its efforts to build common crisis management capacity across the continent.

 As the EU seeks to both coordinate national crisis and disaster authorities and build its own supranational capacities, it is worth asking whether the EU is capable of designing an effective European homeland security apparatus that will fit member state expectations as well as its unique supranational character.

In this article, we apply a bureaucratic politics perspective to explore and assess how the EU’s governance structures and policymaking processes constrain and facilitate its efforts to build transnational crisis management capacity. We discuss how institutional and policymaking characteristics may affect the EU’s ongoing effort to enhance security and safety for the inhabitants of European states. To dowload the full article click here

The Eight Step Training Model: Improving Disaster Management Leadership

by Jim Bennett

In the aftermath of public tragedies such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, intense scrutiny was placed upon the emergency management community throughout all levels of government.

Clearly, it is imperative that emergency managers understand the scope and scale of these events and subsequently the depth of planning required to execute coordinated preparedness, response and relief efforts. However, plans are merely a step in the overarching requirement of coordinating disaster response and delivering relief.

One method for emergency managers to achieve success may be through the implementation of a disciplined training methodology, developed in the United States Army, known as the “Eight Step Training Model.” For more info please click here