Explosives - How we work

HSE is organised into a number of Directorates. The Hazardous Installations Directorate is the operational arm responsible for Major Hazards.

‘Explosives’ is a major hazard industry. As well as the operational arm HSE has a Policy Section which supports Major Hazards work through the formulation of policy and legislation.

The Hazardous Installations Directorate is responsible for the implementation of policy directives.

Inspectors within the operations group use a variety of methods in their day to day with stakeholders.

The methods used include:-

• Inspection
• Investigation of accidents and inclidents
• Enforcement of statutory requirements
• Provision of advice on the nature of risks, their assessment and management
• Working with partners to identify, define, document and promote good practice in the assessment/management of major hazards (including research & standards development)

Explosives - live issues

HSE works closely with employers, employees, trade associations, trade unions and other key stakeholders in the Explosives industry to progress health and safety initiatives.

Public Service Agreement (PSA) Targets

The focus of all our efforts will be on meeting the PSA target which is, by 2008, to:

"improve health and safety outcomes in Great Britain through progressive improvements in the control of risks from the workplace"

This will be primarily through our contribution to the onshore major hazards target and an additional target specific to the explosives sector, but we will also contribute to the occupational health and safety target (PSA1) which requires:

• a 3% reduction in the incidence rate of work-related fatal and major injuries;
• a 6% reduction in the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill-health; and
• a 9% reduction in the number of days lost due to work-related injuries and ill-health.

The major hazards target (PSA2) relates to major hazard precursor incidents. In particular, the PSA 2 target for the Onshore Sector is a 15% reduction in the number of relevant RIDDOR reportable dangerous occurrences at upper and lower tier COMAH sites against a 2001/2 baseline. For the Explosives sector, the baseline figures comprise 2 incidents (both RIDDOR Part I/2: failures of a pressure system - including a closed vessel or pipework).

An additional target specific to explosives has been developed to take account of the main hazard in the sector; fires and explosions. This target also requires a 15% reduction in the number of reportable incidents, in this case of “unintentional explosions or ignitions of explosives” at licensed explosives sites against a baseline of 14 incidents in 2001/02.

Progress against these targets is shown in the table below:

HID SI2 Explosives Inspectorate: Major Hazards Targets
Dangerous Occurence Type	2001/2 baseline	2002/3 actual	2003/4 actual	2004/5 actual	2005/6 target	2006/7 target	2007/8 target
(PSA2 target) RIDDOR Part I/2 at COMAH sites	2	1	0	0	1	1	1
(additional target)RIDDOR Part I/6 & Explosives Act 1875 at all sites	14	15	18	16	14	13	12

 

Explosives - Programme of work

HSE’s plan of work for the explosives industry targets the key priorities identified in the Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy. and additional priority topics identified by HSE's Hazardous Installations Directorate (HID):

At visits to Explosives Industry sites, HSE inspectors will be seeking to ensure that management systems are in place to address the above issues.

Additionally HSE's Explosives Teams will be working with key stakeholders such as trade associations, trade unions and industry committees to promote good practice and make available general, industry specific and topic guidance.