Reducing Fire Risk at Waste Management sites.

IOSH East Midlands Branch.

Chris Jones
Chairman, WISH

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 In the next 25 minutes or so….

• The context and history

• The diversity of the industry

- Size
- Activity

• The industry’s needs and desires

- WISH workplan

• WISH fire guidance for the waste sector

- How the guidance was drafted
- The basis of the guidance
- The key features of the guidance

• Next steps for the guidance

- Research and testing
- Revision, review and improvement.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Context and history.

• The societal context

- a neglected and unappreciated industry
- seen as the problem, not the solution
- poor practices and high accident rates

• Increasing recycling without

increasing the harm
- increasing collection effort
- increasing volumes reused or recycled
- decreasing accident and incident rate

• A time of rapid change

- move away from Landfill toward
processing, which requires additional
handling and storage
- emerging technologies, new challenges

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Context and history - the statistical facts
• Numbers and severity of fires at waste sites 2006-2012
- Are not increasing (at permitted or not permitted sites)
- Waste volumes recycled have increased from c20m tonnes to c35m tonnes

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Context and history – media and perception
• Higher profile
- “ ….2013, the summer that was blighted by waste fires…”
- “…calls for tightening of controls over waste storage after the largest fires
the fire and rescue services have ever seen…”
- “ Fires hitting the waste industry have had a dramatic effect with insurers
pulling out of the sector completely….”

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Context and history – perception and reality
• It’s not all (or even mostly!) rogue traders and low
standards
- six and seven figure CAPEX spending on fire strategies not uncommon
- sophisticated fire prevention and mitigation plans exist and are effective
- real desire among many companies of all sizes to address fire issues

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Diversity
• Size
Private Sector
- Large numbers of small to medium operators
- <10 large, national, waste operators
- 2 Large national scrap/metal recyclers

Public Sector
- Range of LA’s undertaking recycling, some very large

Third Sector
- many small charitable or community recycling/reuse schemes

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Diversity
• Activity
“The waste sector”
- Treatment facilities
- Transfer stations
- Scrap and metal recycling
- charitable/community activities

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Industry needs and desires
• Less fires
- fires are a cost to the industry AND society

• Clear standards and guidance

- taking into account the diversity in scale and nature of its
activities.
- “Proportionate to the risk”

• Effective and consistent enforcement

- “Level playing field”
- “Proportionate to the risk”

• Access to effective and consistent insurance

- Premiums and terms which are “Proportionate to the risk”
- Access to good quality risk engineering support

• Effective and open communication and support

- Government bodies
- Insurers

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 Industry response
• Working group on best practice guidance
- WISH formed a working group enjoying the help and
support of:
Major private sector waste companies;
Fire and Rescue services;
Environment Agency;
Major insurers and risk engineers; and the
Fire Protection Association among many others

• Approach
“WISH method”
- First meeting on December 4th 2013
- Small group to develop first draft, then
- An iterative series of improved and developed drafts
which are widely circulated for comment,
- Meetings if necessary on specific points
- Meeting to agree final form

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 WISH fires guidance

Waste and Recycling Fires Guidance

• Time line on the waste fire guidance

•  Fires on Waste Management sites in
2010-15 work plan
•  Work accelerated following major
fires in mid 2013
•  Development of guidance and work
group announced Fire Futures forum
(Nov 13)
•  First Meeting Dec 2013
•  First consultation draft June 2014
•  Second consultation draft Aug 2014
•  Publication October 2014

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
WISH fire guidance
Reducing fire risk at waste management sites

§  Released 20 October 2014

§  Has support of ESA, EA, SEPA, HSE, HSL,
CFOA, CIWM
§  Insurer input throughout
§  Joint press release WISH / CFOA, plus
CIWM release
§  Distributed widely
§  http://www.ciwm.co.uk/wish_web
§  10 months in production...

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
Structure and scope

Guidance is umbrella and split:

§  General site considerations

§  Waste reception
§  Waste treatment/processing
§  Waste storage

Expected that specific sector, waste type and/or

technology guidance will follow to sit under
umbrella and add detail, provided such is
rigorous

§  Will be revised over time

§  Storage requirements are very likely the most
contentious issue

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
Waste storage

The greater the amount of waste stored, the higher

the likely impact and duration if a fire occurs.
Guidance includes requirements for internal and
external storage, but flexibly:

§  Standard requirements for sites with only basic

fire controls
§  Ability to flex outside standard if fire control
enhanced
§  Calculated method for complex sites and
situations

Those who invest in enhanced fire systems have

flexibility
http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
Good practice or burden

Fires at UK waste management sites are occurring

at a rate of more than one every two days. The WISH
guidance aims to provide operators with the tools
and information to reduce frequency and severity of
fires:

§  Industry-led good practice – not an unreasonable

burden
§  Flexible in approach and practical
§  Has wide support from industry and regulators,
and the involvement of the major insurers
§  Will require change for some

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
 WISH fires guidance

• A beginning, not an end.

• Where do we go from here?

•  Fires testing starting now

•  Likely revision of the guidance in Q1

2016 to take into account the results
from the testing

•  Development of case studies and

option 2 sector specific advice
throughout 2015/6

•  Further revision likely to be

published late in early 2016.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
http:www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm