Posts in category: Safety

A waste company and skip hire company has been fined after a worker suffered multiple injuries when he was struck by a reversing vehicle.

Mold Magistrates’ Court heard how on 6 June 2019, a skip lorry driver drove into the waste management yard area of Thorncliffe Building Supplies’ Abergele site and parked his vehicle. As he was removing the net from the skip, a loading shovel from the same company reversed into the driver, trapping him between his vehicle and the loading shovel. He sustained life changing injuries including fractures to his pelvis and a crushed bowel.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident found that the system of work to control risks from transport was not fully adequate and not monitored; and as a result, was not being followed therefore exposing workers to risks. At the time of the incident the inner banksman, who is responsible for managing traffic at the site, was not present at his station and there weren’t any measures in place to prevent new vehicles from accessing the site.

Thorncliffe Building Supplies Limited of Allt y Graig, Meliden Road, Rhyl pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and have been fined £180,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,856.

Speaking after the case, HSE inspector Sarah Baldwin-Jones said: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply following correct control measures and safe working practices.

“Monitoring of the safe working practice and CCTV evidence would have highlighted risks created when the banksman left the yard area. A rising barrier fitted at the yard entrance, or relief cover for the banksman during the day, would have prevented this incident occurring.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”

International Fire and Safety Journal speak with the Co-Founders of the Women in Fire Safety Awards 

Traditionally, the fire safety fraternity has been dominated predominantly by males. However, whilst this may still be the case, the number of women entering the industry is increasing. Even within the fire services, the latest reports show that the numbers are going up each year. In 2019 it was estimated that 6.4 per cent of firefighters were women. While this number may be low, it is rising year on year. 

Of course, the fire safety sector does spread across those working as installers, technicians, fire safety managers and many other roles. For those occupying these roles, the Women in Fire Safety Awards is helping to highlight and honour the outstanding achievements and contributions of all women within the fire safety community. International Fire and Safety Journal recently caught up with the Co-Founders of the awards Chloe Vickery and Katie Blake. 

Getting started 

Although still in its infancy, the Women in Fire Safety Awards is already establishing itself as a key event for the industry. Its Co-Founders are well placed to highlight the excellent work carried out within fire safety, as they both have experience in the sector. Blake reveals how she became involved in the fire industry prior to the awards: “My history is more construction, starting off my career for a contractor as a quantity surveyor. I was looking after a local social housing contract and an M&E contract. I was often the only female in the room, which was also in college too, however I’m hopeful things are getting better in that regard. 

“The company I worked for went into liquidation, so I had to look for a new position and ended up working as an estimator within a large Merchant wholesaler but progressed fast to become National Account Manager looking after a number of large contractors. From there I went on to work for a Domestic Fire Alarm Manufacturer, which is where I met Chloe.” It was when Blake and Vickery met that the early days of the Women in Fire Safety Awards started. Vickery herself had already gained some experience within fire safety, having started out in the sector as a teenager.

Vickery discusses how those years helped form the Women in Fire Safety Awards: “Admittedly, I fell into the industry as a teen by accident shortly after leaving school because when you are at that age, you don’t really know about the different vocations available to you in fire safety. Since then, I have worked for fire safety contractors, fire alarm distributors, fire alarm manufacturers and now I’m a fire risk assessor.    

“I used to shy away from questions in relation to my history within the industry as I regularly suffered from imposter syndrome due to my gender, age and appearance. However, over time I have realised that we all contribute and strive towards safer communities in a variety of different ways. All of these contributions should be acknowledged, recognised and celebrated. This is one of the many reasons we founded the Women in Fire Safety Awards.” 

Improving diversity 

Part of the goal of the awards is to improve diversity in the industry, and that is also partly why they decided to set the awards up initially. Both Blake and Vickery decided that due to their own experiences, they wanted to highlight the work carried out by the women of the fire safety industry. On this, Vickery comments: “Due to my personal experience within the industry I really wanted to do more to support women, celebrate those championing diversity and recognise all who contribute towards safer communities.

“After reflecting on what more could I do, the idea of the Women in Fire Safety Awards was born. Immediately, I approached my good friend Kate as I knew we had both have faced similar challenges as females and had a shared passion in improving diversity.” 

Blake concludes: “We both had expressed over our time working together, that we felt there was a lack of diversity throughout the whole industry, however we knew that it couldn’t be changed overnight.” 

Although the awards are still relatively new, there is already a clear, long-term plan as to how they can help address the gender imbalance within fire safety. Blake reveals how they are aiming to tackle the imbalance: “We all know this is an issue, and we know it won’t be fixed overnight, however, with our supporters we look to tackle this by highlighting the different career paths within the industry alongside supporting and celebrating those who are already doing incredible jobs.”  

Vickery adds: “We have created an educational video to show some of these incredible women to familiarise the audience with the women who already fulfil these roles, inspire others at any age and highlight the variety of different vocations. Upon completion, this video will be available to all, and we are constantly looking at finding new ways to encourage the next generation to create a sustainability for the industry for many years to come.” 

A collaborative approach 

The ongoing relationship between Vickery and Blake has helped to form what is now the awards in their final form, and the collaboration between the two has helped to get the first award ceremony in place. On the reacting of the industry to the first event, Blake comments: “We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the reaction. You obviously don’t know if something like this will be embraced or not. We had never organised a whole event before like this, and at moments would question each other ‘what on earth are we doing?’. 

“ However, we took things a chunk at a time, gaining partners, getting advice, networking and learning what the industry wanted. And yes, we couldn’t have wished for a better response. We were so proud of the wonderful nominees; the standard was so high. Just so inspiring. A huge thank you for all who supported us and put their faith in us for our first Women in Fire Safety Awards.” 

Industry Challenges  

The awards play an important role in continuing the education that helps to promote diversity in fire safety, and progress has been made to ensure that attitudes continue to change. Despite this, there are still some prejudices, many of which that come from those outsides of the fire safety sector. This is something Vickery believes is a regular occurrence: “As a woman in fire safety, I honestly could not tell you how many times I have attended a premises and someone outside of the industry has said to me ‘we were expecting a man’. It is really heart breaking because you start to have self-doubts and mentally feel you then have to go above and beyond the expectations to gain respect.

“To overcome this, we have created an educational video to familiarise the audience that many incredible women already fulfil these incredible job roles within the fire safety community and are constantly looking for new ways to improve diversity.” 

However, Blake believes that she is starting to see positive change, and educational activities such as the video can help create a more diverse industry: “I’ve been working in various industries since the late 1980s and I’m seeing change. I don’t think that because it’s a male dominated industry, that the men in the industry don’t want women coming in. Quite the opposite, we have been really welcomed.

“The main questions we have had is how we do this, and I really think it begins at school. Showing young people what options are out there. There are so many careers within the industry, it’s not one size fits all, so by highlighting these opportunities, over time, we can create a more diverse industry. Not just for women, either, having a stronger and more diverse working environment is better for society as a whole.” 

Planning for the future 

The Women in Fire Safety Awards is a long-term investment for both Vickery and Blake. As they continue to invest time in changing the perception of women working in fire safety, it will likely plan an ever-increasing role in attracting more women to the sector. As this happens, it is inevitable that the awards will evolve.

Vickery reveals the immediate plans to grow the event: “The Women in Fire Safety Awards will most definitely be a yearly event and a key date in the fire safety community calendar. We are also in the process of creating a networking group for all women within the industry, from Business to Fire Safety Managers, and are planning the three peaks challenge to raise money for charity in 2022.”   

A property managing agent has been ordered to pay more than £80,000 for safety failings which “exposed a potentially large number of people to risk of death or serious injury from fire”.

London Fire Brigade inspectors found serious fire safety defects during two visits to a five-storey building on Danbury Street in Islington which is managed by Eurolets (UK) Limited.

An Enforcement Notice requiring the company to address the concerns was issued following a visit in 2016, which was subsequently sufficiently complied with. However, a later visit then found similar defects to the previous inspection.

The building consists of more than 40 self-contained flats let out to tenants and the inspections revealed deficiencies including combustible material near the entrance to the premises; lack of fire extinguishers and signage; doors wedged open; holes within the walls and a non-functioning fire alarm.

Eurolets was charged with 10 separate offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and the company entered guilty pleas to all charges. The case was heard at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this month. A full list of charges and penalties is listed below.

The judge found that the company fell far short of the appropriate standards and there was serious and/or systemic failure within the organisation to address risks.

“Residents put at risk by lack of action to address concerns”

The Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety, Paul Jennings, said: “The combined effect of the deficiencies was that if a fire had started, there was a risk of an uncontrolled spread of heat, and smoke and flames affecting the whole premises, coupled with the only means of escape being overcome with smoke.

“In sentencing, the judge made it clear that she increased the fine because of the large number of residents that had been put at risk by the company’s lack of action to address concerns.

“We are pleased with the outcome of this case, which is thanks to the hard work which is done every day by our fire safety inspectors. It should also serve as a warning to property managers that we will take action where people are not taking their responsibilities seriously.

“There’s no excuse for leaving people’s safety to chance, especially when information is so readily available to those with responsibility for safety in buildings to understand what their duties are and ensure they comply with the law.”

If you are a responsible person, landlord, business or building owner, you can find out more about the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.

Full list of charges and penalties

Eurolets was charged with the below offences and entered a guilty plea to all of them:

• Failure to take general fire precautions
• Failure to have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment
• Failure to ensure appropriate fire arrangements
• Failure to ensure exit routes were clear and unlocked
• Failure to ensure appropriate fire safety measures in place and conveyed to employees and residents
• Failure to maintain and ensure fire safety equipment
• Failure to provide employees with sufficient fire safety information
• Failure to provide adequate safety training
• Failure to ensure adequate structural compartmentation
• A further charge in respect of combustible items in the second inspection

Eurolets was ordered to pay a fine of £60,000 on the first charge (with no separate penalties for the remaining charges), a victim surcharge of £170 and costs of £20,000. The total of £80,170 is to be paid over 10 months at a rate of £8,000 a month.

Due to the high combustibility of wood and the presence of dust, along with the existence of volatile organic compounds present in varnishing, painting and lacquering operations, the Australia-based kitchen manufacturer Imperial Kitchens faced a constantly high risk of fire. In order to eliminate that risk, Imperial Kitchens installed Hikvision’s Thermal Bi-Spectrum HeatPro cameras, providing an early warning to help protect staff and increasing facility safety.

The challenge: To enhance fire detection and early warning in a challenging environment and to comply with an updated insurance policy

Imperial kitchens in Meadowbrook, Queensland, a reputable manufacturer specialising in design, manufacture and installation of indoor and outdoor kitchens, vanities, and other joinery, operates in a challenging environment where the presence of wooden materials, sawdust, and varying airflow can pose serious obstacles to reliable smoke detection. Aside from that, a recent update to the company’s insurance policy dictated that the fire and smoke detection system needed to be upgraded, should Imperial Kitchens wish to remain insured.     

Michael Cooper, the General Manager at Imperial Kitchens, decided that a smoke detection system alone was not sufficient for the challenges his factory was facing. “Our factory, by its very nature, is a dusty environment, which could trigger false alarms and cause unnecessary panic and costs. There had to be a better way to improve the safety of our staff and facility, and it was also high time for us to consider a digital transformation of the business.”

The solution: Hikvision’s Thermal Bi-Spectrum HeatPro Cameras

In order to address the challenges, Imperial Kitchens collaborated with Intechsys, a solution provider specialising in high-end automation and security, who conducted a thorough review of the facilities and reached the conclusion that Hikvision’s thermal cameras provided the best solution for Imperial Kitchens. The thermal cameras not only keep the manufacturer’s staff and facilities safe with an early warning, but also meet the requirements in the updated insurance policy.

Intechsys installed four Hikvision Bi-Spectrum HeatPro cameras (DS-2TD1217-2/P) for Imperial Kitchens, which were equipped with both optical and thermal sensing. The cameras were placed high up on the walls of the factory, limiting the dust exposure. A 24/7 continuous recording option is available to keep the property safe. The Hikvision Thermal HeatPro Camera has a high sensitivity thermal module, and features a reliable temperature-anomaly alarm, advanced fire detection algorithm, and high quality optical module with 4 MP resolution.

During testing, Intechsys noted that a MAP gas torch triggered the thermal camera’s temperature-anomaly alarm instantly, which then set off an alarm via a high-level interface to the Hikvision NVR. This then passed both the alarm notification to the Hik-Connect app as well as to the Monitoring Center via the Alarm System.

The servers in the control room decipher alarm signals, and the staff in the control room will be able to verify the alarm using actual camera footage, which is impossible to achieve with a fire detector system made of thermal detectors or smoke detectors. Then it is up to the staff to decide how to respond to the alarms – whether to send a patrol, call the police, or call for a fire brigade.

The benefits: An efficient and cost-effective approach to preventing loss of life and property

With many kitchens leaving the multi-million-dollar factory every day, the bustling Imperial Kitchens not only achieved a capital outlay savings, but also an overall reduction in downtime costs by applying the Hikvision solution. Aside from the cost efficiency and easiness to install and maintain, the Thermal Bi-Spectrum HeatPro Camera solution enables Michael Cooper, Imperial Kitchens’ general manager, to visually confirm a fire in the event of an alarm warning remotely via the Hik-Connect cloud-based app on his smartphone.

Even if Michael is not around or on holiday, he can rely on the Alarm Monitoring Control Room, which operates 24 hours per day, seven days a week. This solution gives Michael peace of mind by allowing visual confirmation before calling for the fire brigade.

Although the story begins with Imperial Kitchens seeking to upgrade their fire and smoke detection system to remain insured, they made the most of the Hikvision solutions, and also took some new steps with digital transformation of their business. Fire detection and early warning using the Thermal Bi-Spectrum HeatPro Cameras not only effectively helps prevent loss of life and property, but also brings about capital outlay savings and reduced downtime costs.

The Bi-Spectrum HeatPro Camera’s optical detection helps avoid false alarms, and adds value to Imperial Kitchen’s security agenda. The Hik-Connect app, providing an easy way for devices to connect to the Internet, makes the manufacturer’s remote security monitoring seamless.

Stephen Cooper, owner of Intechsys, commented on the solution: “Certainly all the additional benefits are just other reasons why Thermal Bi-Spectrum HeatPro Cameras are the future of early warning detection in challenging environments, potentially saving lives and protecting expensive equipment from risk of fire.”

For more information about Hikvision thermal products, please contact Hikvision today.

BSI, the business improvement and standards company, are to take a seat on the Fire Industry Association’s (FIA) Forum to facilitate knowledge sharing and improve fire safety in the UK. The FIA’s Internet of Things (IoT) Forum will facilitate the exchange of industry knowledge and remove barriers to the development and adoption of IoT products and services in the fire safety sector.  

Alongside FIA Forum members BSI experts will work to improve fire safety provisions across the UK by promoting new innovations and sharing best practice knowledge and experience.

David Mudd, IoT Business Development Director at BSI said: “The FIA forum brings key industry personnel together to share knowledge and encourage innovation. By working with the Forum and its members we hope to fast-track safe and effective adoption of IoT products across the fire safety industry.

“The Internet of Things Kitemark™ indicates a product or service which has gone beyond normal requirements to achieve the highest standards as appropriate for the intended use. Products with the IoT Kitemark™ have been independently assessed by BSI to ensure the highest standard of IoT security controls are in place and maintained. This quality mark can support the fire industry in ensuring fire safety products are in line with best practice technology.”

IoT enabled fire systems improve detection, suppression and prevention, as well as maintenance and compliance.  Applying the IoT Kitemark™ to fire safety products and services will enable safe adoption of these systems to improve the management of fire risks in domestic and commercial properties.”

Ian Moore, Chief Executive Officer at FIA said: “The FIA, Europe’s largest fire safety trade association, has a long-standing history of working collaboratively with key stakeholders in the fire safety industry. We welcome our recent partnership with BSI and are looking forward to empowering, encouraging and enabling businesses in the fire safety industry to start, or continue, their work with IoT products and services.

“With over 70 FIA Members, the FIA IoT Forum has become the centre for collaboration on IoT in the fire safety industry. The Forum will help those involved to share and create best practice and help remove barriers to the development and use of IoT products and services in the UK fire safety sector. Our aim is that IoT products and services both maintain compliance to fire safety regulations and that the UK fire safety industry takes a leadership position in this domain.”

BSI’s Internet of Things Kitemark™ was developed in 2018 in response to the growth of internet connected products, it was designed to help consumers confidently and easily identify the IoT devices they can trust to be safe, secure and functional.

For more information on the Internet of Things Kitemark please visit the BSI website.

For more information on how to get involved in the  IoT Forum, please visit the FIA website.

The challenges in securing professional indemnity insurance for fire risk assessors continues and appears to be diluting the already stretched capacity of the sector making it harder for responsible persons to find competent people to assess the fire safety of buildings.

Many fire risk assessors have said they are facing a combination of a reduction in liability cover, further restrictive endorsements and some dramatic rises in premium costs. A few have indicated they may even leave the sector. If the trend continues, it could see a decline in the available building safety expertise, jeopardising the ambitions of a safer built environment.

Some risk assessors reported seeing a tenfold increase in their insurance premium costs in the last three years. One company with ten risk assessors, who do not undertake cladding or external wall surveys, quoted an increase in annual premium from £3,500 three years ago to £38,000 today. This was linked to a cover reduction from £5 million to £1 million. 

Dennis Davis, Executive Officer at the Fire Sector Federation, said: “The challenge of cost increases for reduced cover is forcing some risk assessors to consider their future. This could further compromise the already limited capacity for competent fire safety assessments.  This is significant in that it limits our ability to support those in the construction and housing sectors who want to ensure their buildings are safe and compliant.”

“The Federation has welcomed recent new fire safety legislation and looks forward to the introduction of further improvements proposed in the wider building safety regime change. However, this will require a high degree of competence and specialist fire safety knowledge. Raising competency levels and capacity are key elements to this strategy. The Federation actively promotes third party assurance with its associated controls and independent assessment to encourage all, including insurers, to feel confident with the work conducted by fire risk assessors. We cannot afford to erode existing numbers of fire risk assessors.”

“We know the government is both aware and working with industry to seek to improve access to affordable insurance, but we do need to resolve this issue as a matter of urgency.”

The Fire Sector Federation is at the forefront of driving competence in fire safety and last year published a Code of Practice for fire risk assessors together with guidance on choosing suitable person and provides a national listing to help those requiring expertise in this area.

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF), the research affiliate of NFPA, has received four direct grants that will advance safety in a variety of areas. The FPRF will also serve in an advisory service capacity for several other grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grants (FEMA AFG), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and National Science Foundation (NSF). This support for FPRF projects in 2022 coordinates with the Foundation’s 40th anniversary and its ongoing commitment to planning, managing, and communicating major research programs domestically and abroad.

Since 1982, the FPRF has facilitated projects that address industry challenges related to detection and signaling, hazardous materials, electrical safety, fire suppression, storage of commodities, firefighter health and safety, public education, emerging technologies, and other safety considerations. Thanks to generous grant funding, the following FPRF researchprojects are planned for the immediate future:

1. FEMA AFG – This three-year research and development (R&D) grant for Improved PPE Cleaning Best Practices/Exposure Assessment will allow the FPRF to build on two prior Department of Homeland Security (DHS projects AFG FOA FY14: “How Clean is Clean” and AFG FOA FY17: “Broadening PPE Cleaning Validation Applications”) so that best practices for personal protective equipment (PPE) cleaning and exposure assessment methods can be established and communicated. The aim is to get cleaning validation tools and effective cleaning methodologies into more fire departments so that chronic exposures are minimized. The research will be conducted by NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) and International Personnel Protection, Inc. and will ultimately inform standards requirements, increase data, and lead to better product design and development.
2. FEMA AFG – This two-year Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S) grant for Application of Immersive Learning on Firefighter Skills, Health, and Safety will strive to identify, assess, and summarize the available and emerging technological tools, techniques, and innovations that support the application of immersive learning for the fire service. The FPRF is working with the North American Fire Training Directors (NAFTD) to minimize firefighter fatalities and injuries during training; determine and describe the value of immersive learning on firefighter skills and competency-based testing/evaluation; identify future needs and barriers; communicate the needs of fire academies; and create a firefighter immersive learning environment roadmap to provide guidance to those charged with training members of the fire service.
3. NIST Fire Grant – This one-year grant for WUI-NITY 3: Multi-Method Traffic Movement Data Collection for WUI Fire Evacuation Modeling aims to enhance life safety in case of wildland-urban interface fires. The study will allow for enhanced evacuation planning by providing data for a comprehensive evacuation platform that addresses the safety needs of residents. WUI fire evacuation models have started to be developed, but they are primarily research tools unable to be applied in practice. This research will serve as a bridge for practice – building credibility through testing and application. The WUI-NITY tool has been developed over several previously NIST-funded projects with a research team from Lund University, Imperial College London, NRC Canada, Movement Strategies/GHD, and RMIT. Once this model is suitably tested and deemed usable, it can be adopted to test different application scenarios as part of engineering practice. Currently, the testing process is constrained by a lack of suitable, available data
4. NIST Fire Grant – This one-year effort entails a Survey on Usage and Functionality of Smoke Alarms and CO Alarms in Households – Phase 2 (Note: This project is being led by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the FPRF is providing additional funding to conduct more surveys so that a statistically relevant sample can be achieved). The lack of current data on smoke alarm and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm installation and operability in US homes makes the path for improving the performance and installation of smoke and CO alarms difficult. To fill this gap, this survey will collect valuable data to inform educational activities, codes and standards development, and to improve the performance of alarms in households.

The FPRF will also serve in an advisory service capacity with principal investigators for several other confirmed grants:

• A three-year FEMA AFG R&D grant led by University of Massachusetts Lowell on Assessing Firefighters’ Exposures to Thermal Decomposition Products of AFFF Replacement Alternatives
• A three-year FEMA AFG R&D grant led by North Carolina State University on Development of Contamination Resistance as a Measure for Firefighter Protective Clothing and Its Impact on Other Performance Properties
• FEMA AFG grant led by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) on Fire as a Weapon Integrated Response: Research-Based Training for Fire and Law Enforcement Personnel
• FEMA AFG grant led by the University of Texas at Austin on Improving Firefighter Safety on Firegrounds Involving Li-Ion Batteries
• NSF grant led by University of California, Irvine on CareDEX: Enabling Disaster Resilience in Aging Communities via Secure Data Exchange.

“As we celebrate our fourth decade of identifying risks and opportunities for improved safety outcomes, our team is grateful for the grant funding that we continue to receive and the trust that others continue to place in our ability to unearth gaps, introduce solutions, and communicate key findings to a wide spectrum of practitioners,” Amanda Kimball, FPRF executive director said. “The work of the Fire Protection Research Foundation is reflective of the NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem™, and the 40 or so projects that we undertake each year are rooted in the belief that a little knowledge can go a long way.”

UL, the global safety science leader, can now provide the full suite of conformity assessment services to manufacturers for a wide range of fire safety products for the UK and Europe, following official confirmation of UL International (Netherlands) BV’s new EU technical assessment body status.

UL’s latest designation as a technical assessment body allows it to help manufacturers of new and innovative fire safety products to achieve CE marking. Its product scope includes, among others, firefighting equipment, fire and smoke control, firestopping, fire sealing and fire protection and retardant products.

This new designation means that customers with relevant products can now achieve global market acceptance and compliance, opening up new markets across the world. 

The designation is in addition to UL’s existing roles as a notified body for CE marking, its approved body status for UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking and all its existing third-party certification services for the internationally recognised UL Mark.

Since Britain’s exit from the EU, conformity assessment and required conformity markings have become considerably more complex for many product manufacturers in the construction and fire safety sectors.

The UKCA mark is being introduced for products intended for the market in England, Scotland and Wales and will replace the European CE marking regime first introduced in 1985. UKCA marking will likely be mandatory for certain regulated products from 1 January 2023, following the UK Government’s recent agreement to extend this deadline for one year.

However, for manufacturers looking to place products in both British and European markets, assessments must be completed by both an EU-notified or technical assessment body for the CE marking and a UK-approved body for the UKCA marking. UL can now provide all options through a combined safety testing and certification assessment process, saving time and cost.

“UL is now a comprehensive service provider for conformity marking needs through our third-party testing, assessment and certification activities on a wide range of fire safety products in the U.K. and Europe,” said Chris Miles, EMEA regional business director for UL’s Built Environment group.

“This will deliver significant efficiencies and economies of scale for our customers, and vital safety reassurances to their customers, too. We would urge manufacturers looking to place fire safety products on the British market to start their UKCA marking applications soon – don’t wait until just before the revised deadline of 1 January 2023. And for products that already enjoy full market acceptance in the UK and Europe, we can help guide customers about additional market opportunities provided by the UL Mark in all other parts of the world.”

Further information on UL’s approval as an EU technical assessment body is available here. It specifically covers:

• Fixed firefighting equipment (fire alarm/detection, fixed firefighting, fire and smoke control and explosion suppression products)
• Fire stopping, fire sealing and fire protective products, fire retardant products

www.ul.com/services/solutions/fire-safety

A Bradford-based construction company has been fined after an employee was injured at work leading to significant sight loss in his right eye.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Pearl Services UK Ltd had been contracted to carry out refurbishment of a retail store in Cheetham Hill, Manchester. On the 23 February 2020 employees were erecting PVC hoarding within the store to separate the refurbishment work area from members of the public.  An apprentice decorator who was helping joiners set up the hoarding, struck one of the PVC panels using a mallet causing it to splinter. A fragment penetrated their right eye, causing serious injury and loss of sight. The incident has resulted in a life-changing injury to the person who will not regain full sight in his right eye, despite a number of post-accident operations

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Pearl Services UK Ltd had failed to suitably plan, manage and monitor the project. Risk assessments and method statements had not fully identified the need to wear safety eyewear during the erection of the hoarding. In addition to this, the supervisor had failed to ensure that the documentation available on-site was communicated to the operatives before commencing work. Although safety eyewear was available on site, the wearing of it had not been made mandatory, neither were checks carried out to ensure it was worn.

Pearl Services UK Limited of Pearl House Commondale Way, Euroway Trading Estate, Bradford pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £16,500 and ordered to pay costs of £5,778.40

After the hearing, HSE inspector Phil Redman commented: “This incident could so easily have been avoided by providing suitable information, instruction, supervision and training to site personnel in respect of the fitting of the PVC site hoarding.

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”