fig leaves
The newsletter of the Fire Information Group UK (FIG UK)
No. 66
February 2023
Wishing everyone a very Happy Spring 2023
Edited by Sheila Pantry, OBE
Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
www.sheilapantry.com
www.oshworld.com
www.oshupdate.com
sp@sheilapantry.com
This latest edition of fig leaves contains:
News and Events from around the World
Event: Fire Safety of External Non-Loadbearing Walls
7 March 2023
Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, the Fire Protection Association are hosting an in-person Spring Seminar – Fire Safety of External Non-Loadbearing Walls. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) estimates there are 12,500 high-rise residential buildings of 18 metres or more in height, or at least seven storeys, that fall within the category of Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) under the Building Safety Act 2022 in England.
https://www.thefpa.co.uk/events/our-events/fire-safety-of-external-non-load-bearing-walls
REACH
Lead gunshot banned in wetlands
The EU-wide ban on using lead gunshot in wetland areas starts applying on 16 February 2023.
This restriction harmonises national laws already in place in various forms in 23 EU Member States and introduces new legislation in four EU Member States: Ireland, Poland, Romania and Slovenia. It also implements the international Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) to protect wetland birds in the EU.
The restriction is expected to protect the environment by reducing lead pollution and preventing the death of around one million waterbirds every year from lead poisoning.
In January 2021, we proposed a broader restriction covering the use of lead in hunting, outdoor sports shooting and fishing. This proposal and the scientific committees’ opinion will soon be sent to the European Commission for decision making.
EU-wide enforcement of safety data sheets launched
National enforcement authorities have started inspecting the compliance of safety data sheets for chemicals sold on the EU market. Checking safety data sheets was agreed by ECHA’s Enforcement Forum as this year’s harmonised enforcement project (REF-11). The main objective is to assess whether duty holders have updated and provided safety data sheets according to the new requirements of Annex II to REACH.
The operational phase for this project continues throughout 2023 and the results will be reported in 2024.
https://echa.europa.eu/safety-data-sheets
ECHA Consultations launched for applications for authorisation
ECHA has launched a consultation on 13 applications for authorisation covering 14 uses of:
- Chromium trioxide (EC 215-607-8, CAS 1333-82-0): used in functional chrome plating, functional chrome plating with decorative character, passivation of electrolytic tinplate (ETP)
- Sodium dichromate (EC 234-190-3, CAS 10588-01-9): passivation of electrolytic tinplate (ETP)
- 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol, ethoxylated (EC -, CAS -): manufacturing aid in the production of gene therapies.
More details about the functions of the substances, the uses applied for, exposure scenarios, possible alternatives, and socio-economic information are available on ECHA’s website.
Submit comments by 12 April 2023.
https://echa.europa.eu/-/public-consultations-launched-for-applications-for-authorisation
Event: NFPA Conference & Expo
19-23 June 2023, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA
Mark your calendar! Planning is under way for NFPA Conference & Expo® 2023 in Las Vegas.
We’re excited to interact with all the professionals that make up the fire and life safety community. We’re looking forward to networking, creating needed solutions, and continuing to provide the most comprehensive education and certification programs available.
https://www.nfpa.org/Conference
New Publications
From The Fire Protection Association including RISCAuthority
The insurer Passive Working Group (PWG) at RISCAuthority has published BDM01 – A to Z of Essential Principles for the protection of buildings Version 3 – 2023 as a free download from the FPA website. It is an orderly recommendation to investors, on behalf of insurers, not to design and build solely down to the “life safety before collapse” objective on the assumption that the project is a “common building situation”. Instead, to define and insist upon the resilience their investment requires, beyond statutory guidance or Building Regulations. It calls for resilient construction innovation to improve health and life safety with measures anticipating likely events involving fire and water.
Central to the PWG are the Building Design and Management (BDM) guides. This series is being systematically updated, starting with BDM01 A to Z of Essential Principles for the protection of buildings Version 3 – 2023. BDM01 relies upon the core document BDM02 Compartmentation and Sprinkler Rules Revision 2 – August 2022. It was decided by the PWG that in contrast to the publicly available BDM01 and BDM02 that BDM08 Categories of building construction for fire or property insurance surveys Version 2 – 2021 would be available to RISCAuthority Members only, along with the BDM08 Calculator. The other ten public BDM titles are being reviewed by the PWG, so that most can be withdrawn, and the remainder updated in 2023. The ten BDM titles requiring review can be obtained through the FPA website Index of Resources. At present it may be that only BDM06 Protection of openings and service penetrations from fire – 2005 and BDM07 Protected zone – 2004 should be updated, where they cannot be subsumed into a future BDM01 Revision 4. With the other eight BDM titles withdrawn after content is updated through the new projects on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and Fire Safety Information by Purpose Groups (Regulation 38).
https://www.thefpa.co.uk/index-of-resources
BDM01 – A to Z of Essential Principles for the Protection of Buildings
13 February 2023
This RISCAuthority document updated in February 2023 describes the A to Z of Essential Principles determined by insurers for the protection of buildings, the businesses they support, and the services conducted from them.
RC59 – Fire Safety when Charging Electric Vehicles
26 January 2023
Lithium-ion batteries are the predominant type of rechargeable battery used in electric vehicles (EV), which are at highest risk of fire when being charged, particularly if a cell is defective and unable to correctly convert the supplied electrical energy into stored chemical energy. RC59 has been revised to focus on fire hazards and good-practice risk control measures for the charging of electric vehicles using lithium-ion batteries.
Fire Prevention on Construction Sites: The Joint Code of Practice on the Protection from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings Undergoing Renovation
26 January 2023
The Joint Code of Practice for Fire Prevention on Construction Sites was first published in 1992 with the objective of preventing fires on construction sites. Now in its 10th edition, the code has been revised to ensure it continues to address not only long-standing risks such as hot work, but also reflects changes in standards, practice and the more prevalent use of modern materials and construction methods.
Sprinkler System Service and Maintenance: Guidance, Records and Checklists
24 January 2023
This document of guidance templates, forms and checklists is intended to supplement the LPC Rules for Automatic Sprinkler Installations 2015, incorporating BS EN 12845 and, in particular, LPC Technical Bulletin TB203: Care and Maintenance of Automatic Sprinkler Systems, to give additional information for both the sprinkler system owner/user and the specialist sprinkler maintenance company.
Sprinkler System Service & Maintenance Checklists – Appendix Template Forms
24 January 2023
This document provides guidance on the minimum requirements for the service and maintenance of automatic sprinkler systems. It is aimed at anyone involved with automatic sprinkler systems and provides additional material in the form of legislation, best practice, and free downloadable checklists.
RE2 – Lithium-Ion Battery Use and Storage
9 January 2023
Lithium-ion batteries are the predominant type of rechargeable battery used to power the devices and vehicles that we use as part of our daily lives. This need to know guide highlights the hazards associated with the use and storage of lithium-ion batteries and provides risk control recommendations.
Don’t forget to use The British Library
The British Library year in numbers 2022
Custodianship
2.25 m items collected under legal deposit
Over 8,000 items received conservation treatment or intervention
43 km of linear collection items relocated in preparation for Boston Spa Renewed
Research
86 m collection items consulted in Reading Rooms, online, or remotely
Around 17,000 visits a month to the Reading Rooms by the end of the year
Partnered on 59 research projects alongside universities, culture and research institutions
Business
23,800 entrepreneurs and businesses supported across the UK
85 locations across the UK offering business support via libraries
Over 6,600 entrepreneurs helped to weather economic challenges through the Reset Restart programme
Culture
237,000 people experienced Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women’s Rights across the UK-wide Living Knowledge Network
Over 50,000 watched our online events from across the UK and the world, another
7,000 attended in person
Learning
Schools programme accessed by over 18,800 people online, and 3,000 onsite
Over 60,000 children participated in BL’s National Outreach Programme
9.5 m visitors to the Library’s Learning website
International
Over 700 participants from 35 countries at the National Libraries Now conference
Over 10 m images now made available through the Endangered Archives Programme
Over 200 diplomatic and professional exchanges with 49 countries
Other highlights
20,475 authors and creators received a Public Lending Right payment
26.3 m visits to the British Library website
50,000 people engaged with our culture and learning programme in Leeds
Date of Next FIG UK Meeting (online)
Wednesday, 8 March 2023, 11 am - 1 pm – Agenda will be sent out about 10 days before the event.
Send any news at any time to Sheila Pantry at sp@sheilapantry.com | 85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG | Tel 01909 771024 | www.sheilapantry.com
Also visit:
- www.oshupdate.com – Unique collection of OSH and fire information over 1.2 million full text and bibliographic records – Ask for free of charge trial contact sp@sheilapantry.com
- www.oshworld.com
- www.shebuyersguide.com
- www.sheilapantry.com/memorial
- www.frsug.org
- www.historyofosh.org.uk