Safety directives and risk evaluation

In both of these instances, the catastrophic effects were due to three main causes:

• —
  Laws, regulations, and directives were ignored, storage limits exceeded.
• —
  Plants were erected or operated in the immediate proximity of residential areas.
• —
  Errors were made or inadequate care was taken in the handling of explosive materials.

In Europe, the EU member states are obliged to transpose the directives on the handling of explosives into national law. In Germany, these regulations are incorporated in the law governing explosive materials.

For countries that have no statutory regulations or whose regulations are inadequate, the Code for the Manufacture, Transportation and Storage of Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles issued by the National Fire Protection Association of America (NFPA Code 1124) provides assistance and detailed information on the handling of explosives.

Like the German law, NFPA 1124 specifies the hazards involved in manufacture, transportation, and storage, describes process and storage methods, and prescribes minimum distances from production to storage areas and from the factory site to surrounding residential areas.

The requirements laid down in NFPA 1124 act as a pointer to the main principles to be observed in the erection and operation of such facilities. Whether they are completely implemented and meticulously observed is one of the criteria underwriters use in their assessment of risks.

Nevertheless, human failure like non-observance of or unfamiliarity with safety regulations continues to be an imponderable — a significant risk factor in an exposed field of business.

« back