Buncefield: company convicted of Health and Safety Breach

2 July 2010 by Jim Bennett

Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Fire

4 June 2010 by Jim Bennett

On April 20, 2010, a loss of well control occurred and resulted in an explosion and fire on the Transocean/BP Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) Deepwater Horizon.

 Eleven lives were lost in this incident and the MODU subsequently sank.

The well has not yet been secured, and the resulting release of oil has been declared a spill of US national significance with oil threatening sensitive coastlines and resources in the Gulf of Mexico. This  has having a Global Impact on offshore drilling well control.

Gulf of Mexico Emergency Response:

Please click here for current information…

Department of Interior Report - click here increased safety measures 27.10.10

What Went Wrong?:

At the time of the accident, the Deepwater Horizon was operating 52 miles from shore in 4,992 feet of water with a subsea Blow Out Prevention (BOP) stack. After the Deepwater Horizon sank, Remote Operating Vehicle’s confirmed that the riser was bent over and still attached to the BOP and that oil is flowing from leaks in the riser above the BOP. Numerous attempts to actuate the BOP have failed.

Corrective actions and Recommendations:

While the exact causes of this event are now under investigation, the tragic nature of this accident compels operators and drilling contractors to inspect their drilling equipment and review their procedures to ensure the safety of personnel and protection of the environment.

Within the Scottish Oil and Gas Sector the Health and Safety Executive Offshore Safety Division should be contaced for futher advice (click here for guidance overview)

Fire Sprinkler Conference 12th April, Fife

26 March 2010 by Jim Bennett

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Operational Guidance Board

by Jim Bennett

The Scottish Branch of the Institution are now consultative members of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Operational Guidance Board – for Terms of Reference please click here.

Details of the meetings can be found on The SFRAU section of the Government website by clicking here.

It should be noted that we are also consultative members of the Chief Fire Officer’s Association, Scotland Practitioners’ Policy Forum.

Further details may be obtained by contacting the Branch Secretary.

Details of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Circulars/Dear Chief Officer’s Letters can be found by clicking here.

The Association of Brirish Insurers have issued a paper entitled “Tackling Fire: a call for Action” – for details of their proposals please click here.

Annual General Meeting 14th May 2010

23 March 2010 by Jim Bennett

Our Annual General Meeting will be follwed by an enabling discussion on:

 

Lessons Learned from the Scottish Fire Safety Legislation Implementation: next STEPS?

 

What has worked well?

What can we do better?

Next STEPS?

Brian Fraser, Head of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Advisory Unit (SFRAU), will introduce the topic.

Date: 14^th May 2010

Time: 1300hrs, buffet lunch at 1230hrs

Venue: Tayside Fire and Rescue Service Training and Development Centre, 401 High Street (Long Causeway), Perth, PH1 1PL, Tel – 01738 622226

Please advise secretary@ife-scotland.org.uk if you are attending. Visitors are also most welcome to the next STEPS discussion.

SIFE AGM MinutesRev1 – May 2010

Draft Fire Risk Assessment Document

Striking the balance between operational & Health and Safety duties in the Fire and Rescue Service

12 March 2010 by Jim Bennett

 

Geoffrey Podger and Judith Hackitt of the Health and Safety Executive have issued guidance to clarify how the Fire and Rescue Service should comply with the UK Health and Safety at Work duties within their operational work. Please click here for the full statement and guidance.

 

Summary

The guidance may be summarised as follows:

• The 8 Scottish Fire Authorities/Fire and Rescue Services have a ‘duty of care’ towards their firefighters whilst at work.
• Fire and Rescue Activites are fast moving, at times very hazardous and emotionally charged.
• A balance need to be managed between meeting statutory Health and Safety regulatory requirements whilst providing an effective emergency service to our communities.
• It’s effectively a test of  ’appropriateness’ - “doing the right thing at the right time”.
• The “quantum of risk” is subjective and ultimately will be defined by ‘case law’ – the test will include “Would another competent Fire Commander do the same thing given similar circumstances? The guidance details the principles to be considered.

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