MSER

[Brian]

I've just heard that MSER, the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations, were signed off yesterday and will come into force on 26th April.

 

Just time for you all to check that you are going to be complying

[Brian]

Within the last few hours the full version of the regulations, as laid before parliament, have been posted to the HMSO website here.

[Grahame]

Yes, very good. Now can someone please interpret what bits apply to use of pyros in theatrical situations?

[Brian]

Yes, very good. Now can someone please interpret what bits apply to use of pyros in theatrical situations?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

To be pedantic, all of the Regulation applies to theatres which store pyro.

 

To make full sense of it we need to wait for the ACoP which is promised at the end of the month, probably after the Regulations take force :D

 

In reality the following regulations are of most interest...

 

Regulation 7 - Under 18's

 

Regulation 10 - Licenced Storage

 

Regulation 11 - Registered Storage

[timpman19]

Employment of young persons

     7. No person who manufactures or stores explosives shall permit a person between the age of 16 years and 18 years to work in that manufacture or storage except under appropriate supervision

 

so 15 year olds are aloud :D

 

[/joke]

 

sorry this isn't really a joking matter :blink:

 

so does this mean that a 16 to 18 year old could fire and load a pyro cartridge as long as a qualified, trained pyro technician was supervising?

[Brian]

Employment of young persons

     7. No person who manufactures or stores explosives shall permit a person between the age of 16 years and 18 years to work in that manufacture or storage except under appropriate supervision

 

so 15 year olds are aloud :D

 

[/joke]

 

sorry this isn't really a joking matter :blink:

 

so does this mean that a 16 to 18 year old could fire and load a pyro cartridge as long as a qualified, trained pyro technician was supervising?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

From a 'legal' standing there has never been any prohibition of under-18's using pyro. From a health and safety and from an insurance point of view there have been many issues.

 

From the (draft) Approved Code of Practice...

 

481. The Management of Health and Safety at Work

Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) place specific duties on

employers to ensure that young people are “protected at

work from any risks to their health or safety which are a

consequence of their lack of experience, or absence of

awareness of existing or potential risks or the fact that

young persons have not yet fully maturedâ€.

 

483. In general the presumption should be not to employ

young people in roles where they are directly involved in

the manufacture or storage of explosives or frequently go

into explosives buildings or areas unless there are good

reasons for doing so.

 

Also, irrespective of what MSER says, if your licensing authority says 'no' it's 'no'.

[PDD]

so 15 year olds are aloud  :D

 

allowed :blink:

 

* * * *

 

Brian, will there be any change/restriction on buying pyro from a supplier (e.g. Stage Electrics)?

[Brian]

Brian, will there be any change/restriction on buying pyro from a supplier (e.g. Stage Electrics)?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably not. The new Regulations cover manufacture and storage - it's the storage bit which will affect most people. Transport is already fairly tightly regulated.

 

It will depend how you get the material from your supplier. If you collect from Stage Electrics, then if your local branch is like mine, they don't hold much material in stock - most of it is to order and is shipped from their central stores in their own vans.

 

If you receive stuff by carrier then that won't change (apart from many carriers now refusing to carry explosives).

 

MSER and all its supporting documentation runs to over 600 pages. Having read it several times now and discussed it with others I'm beginning to get to grips with the finer details.

 

As I said above, storage is the issue. People should be under no illusions that these Regulations apply to everywhere that explosives, and that includes stage pyrotechnics, are stored. It may change where you store them and it may change how you store them.

[PDD]

It may change where you store them and it may change how you store them.

 

In what way? (or is it better to wait for the ACoP?)

[Brian]

It may change where you store them and it may change how you store them.

 

In what way? (or is it better to wait for the ACoP?)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, if you're really keen the Regulations (69 pages) and the draft ACoP (245 pages) are on the HSE website. All the information you need is probably in there :D

 

Hopefully the published ACoP will not chnage much from the draft ACoP given the speed this was enacted.

 

The problem with these regulations, as with many others, in the number of cross references to other pieces of law and the use of many, many, double negatives and exemption clauses.

 

Whilst, based on my research and conversations with others, I have a view as to what this all means for your average theatre/venue/theatrical supplier, I'm very aware that this is a very new piece of law which very few people fully understand. As such I'm very reluctant to go into print at this stage.

[Brian]

And to bring this up to date...

 

The ACoP and guidance for MSER is now available; ISBN 0-7176-2816-7. It's a hefty 214 pages and will cost you £20.95. My copy has just landed (more like thudded) onto my doormat - guess what I'll be reading this weekend?

[Tomo]

There is also some freely downloadable guidance available from the HSE website here.

 

The Guidance for Enforcing Authorities document is probably the most useful of the three, because it tells you what your local authority will probably be looking for.

[Brian]

There is also some freely downloadable guidance available from the HSE website here.

 

The Guidance for Enforcing Authorities document is probably the most useful of the three, because it tells you what your local authority will probably be looking for.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sadly, and not suprisingly, the free information from the HSE is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.