19 October 2007

NCFS REPORT OCTOBER 2007

NO GOVT POLICY ON FIREWORK SAFETY OR
PUBLICATION OF INJURY STATISTICS

This year The DTI has decided that they are not going to bother issuing the Firework Injury Statistics ever again. After scouring the Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reforms (formerly the Dept of Trade & Industry) website for several week and wondering why the firework injury & incident statistics were not there, although there was a headline recently "Firework Injury Statistics for 2006" we discovered that on the day the safety campaign and sales season usually starts October 15, a notice went out on their website stating that the statistics for 2006 had not been compiled. We immediately phoned the BERR. After being shevvied around a bit we were told that there was only one man who dealt with fireworks and his asst who were not available.

An official told us however that the new notice on the website was correct. They had not collected firework information from the hospitals last year. nor would any information be collated from the hospitals or any other source for the future. Why? costs the official said to produce the figures and the Minister in the BERR Gerry Sutcliffe had decided with officials "that it was unnecessary for the future". "The injuries were only running at 1000 or 1000 plus". It is perfectly clear that BERR have decided to hush up the injuries by not producing them to save their own faces and embarrasement each year when the injuries have to be divulged to the Press and Public

So we are not to have a national picture of injuries and incidents that have been compiled for over 40 years first by the Home Office in the 1960s and the DTI from the 1970s on. We will not know the firework injury totals. We will not know the breakdown of statistics for each area. We will not know the type of fireworks involved. We will not know the age groups of children involved. We will not know if dangerous fireworks were or imported illegally which is frequently the case. We will not know many more facts about the firework injury scene that we, the Police, the NHS, and most importantly the public need to know. Noel Tobin, Director of NCFS has also written to the new Minister at the BERR Gareth Thomas asking him to reverse the decision not to have a national firework injury survey immediately and to make sure all injuries and incidents are collected from the hospitals and other areas and properly collated for the future.

On Sunday 3 December last 2 firefighters were killed and12 people were injured when a "Festival Fireworks" Fireworks Factory blew up in Ringmer near Lewes in East Sussex. Nine other firefighters one police officer and 2 members of the public were also injured. The news reports on the day mentioned fireworks going off in all directions and explosions heard over a mile away and a half away. There was an aerial picture of the site in the nationals showing a black hole of gthe area.

It was neglected to mention until the next day that there was a steel works next door to the Fireworks Factory, which should not have been sited beside a Fireworks Factory. Had there been a block of apartments nearby the occupants could all have been killed or maimed as happened in China in recent years. In a letter recently to Noel Tobin, Director of NCFS, the chief inspector of the Health & Safety Inspectorate, HSE Geoffrey Podger, said that the HSE was involved only with the transportation and labelling of fireworks.

Since then we have asked for a proper Report on disaster and for it to be published but this has been denied on the grounds that one is not ready. Our information from those in the Industry and who would be consulted is that the Health & Safety Executive are saying is it is nothing to do with them but the Police. However we know from our long experience that the HSE are responsible where all safety is concerned not least of all a disaster, and should be taking the lead. The latest Minister in charge of the subject of fireworks Gareth Thomas at the DTI (they usually change every year) would probably say that it was a matter for somebody else although he is the Minister. We will continue pressing for a public Report.

The National Campaign for Firework Safety was started in November 1969, by a group of parents who were sick and tired of firework injuries to their children, and people' pets. The campaign wants a ban on retail sales and licensed firework displays only and a ban on imports of dangerous fireworks outside the scope of BS 7114 of which there are many. We are the longest running campaign in the country and have been supported by many MPs over the decades who presented PMBs (Private Members Bills) and PQs put down over the lifetime of this campaign. (full details on our history up on the campaign website) Many people have supported us and some have tried to seek personal publicity by going out on their own. After a year or two when they get no further publicity they have given up and moved on to other bandwagons.

We will continue campaigning until we are successful.

NOEL TOBIN - DIRECTOR

National Campaign For Firework Safety
Article Written By: Noel Tobin