Izaskun Astondoa

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9th International Symposium on Fireworks
Berlín, Germany April 3-7, 2006.
Europe Normalization Utopia?
Izaskun Astondoa Pirotecnia Astondoa,S.A.'s
Manager and AFAPE's President
Guillermo Rodriguez-Bronchú PIROVAL and AFAPE's
Manager
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Introduction
Consumer fireworks of categories 1, 2 and 3 are
those small firework items intended for personal
use and which can be purchased over-the counter
in many states.
The retail value of fireworks in Spain is about
100m and has grown steadily over the last years.
This activity is, normally, more supervised and
regulated than manufacture or storage because all
countries want to guarantee the proper and safe
functioning of fireworks.
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Introduction
Pyrotechnics Directive
With the advent of the common market in 1993, the
EC started preparing for a proposed Pyrotechnics
Directive. Previosly, the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) was in hand on the
preparation of a series of standards for
individual types of fireworks.

• There were obvious differences between the
  countries present in the committee.
• 29 standards has been published, 7 more has been
  withdrawn due to no interests of more than 3
  members or due to safety reasons.
• The last time the committee hold a meeting was in
  2005.

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Pyrotechnics Directive
The availability of fireworks to consumers
varies among European countries. Policies and
legislation control their sale and use, the types
of fireworks legally available, quantities
consumed and the times when they are set off,
reflecting the historical-cultural differences
that exist between member sates.
In this paper we would like to compare the
current situation of countries. There are
profound differences between north-european and
Mediterranean countries, e.g. where the
north-european countries consider noise as an
inconvenience and limit the sound level of the
fireworks or restrict their use, but south
european countries try to make compatible
traditions with a sensible use of them. We will
compare the following countries United Kingdom,
Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands
and Spain.
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Analysis
1. Policies

• Regulated by the Explosives Act 1875 and the
  Explosives (Age of Purchase) Act 1976.
• The Fireworks Act 1951 (containing powers to
  order the destruction of any fireworks
  considered to be dangerous when in the possession
  of the public).
• The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1986 and the
  Consumer Protection Act 1987 .
• Local Authority Trading Standard Officers have
  the authority under the Consumer Protection Act
  to test fireworks for safety in the hands of
  consumers.
• Bristish Standard BS 7114 issued in 1988 covers
  the classification, specification, labelling, and
  methods for testing fireworks.
• The Fireworks Act 2003, Fireworks Regulations
  2004 (amendment), Fireworks Regulations (Safety)
  1997 (amendment).

• Fireworks legislation is laid down by the
  Ministry of Economic Affairs, Explosives
  Department, Article 265, 7 03.09.58 updated
  07.01.66, list of permitted fireworks 03.11.58,
  explosives fireworks definition 26.01.66..

• The sale and use of fireworks is governed by the
  Statutory Order of Parliament 24th May 1972, and
  the recent amendment by the Statutory Order of
  23rd October 1992.

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1. Policies

• The sale and use of fireworks is covered by
  Decree nº 90-897 1 October 1990.

• The sale and use of fireworks in Germany is
  governed by the law on explosives, issued by the
  Ministry of the Interior.

• The sale and use of fireworks is governed by the
  Fireworks Law 2002 regulation further
  requirements consumer fireworks 2004

• The basic law is the Explosives Law (Reglamento
  de Explosivos RD 230/1998) which lists
  requirements for manufacture, classification and
  transport, as well as sale.

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2. Classification
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2. Classification
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2. Classification
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2. Classification
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3. Sale and Use
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3. Sale and Use
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4. Age Restrictions
UK
Belgium
France
Germany
Netherlands
Spain
Denmark
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5. Prohibitions

• Rocketgt 400g weight, and head of 60mm.
• Hand-held fireworks
• Friction ignited fireworks
• Fireworks of erratic flight
• Report fireworks

• Fireworks of erratic flight
• Mini rockets
• Report batteries
• Report combinations
• Flash bangers

• Roman candles gt12mm.
• Shells gt30g nec.
• Bangers with more than 2g of black powder.

• Nec gt 200g
• Fireworks without an external visibly burning
  fuse
• Fuse burning not between 3,0s to 6,0s

• Friction bangers

• Flash bangers

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6. Special safety measures
France
Denmark

• K1
• No confusion with toys or food
• K2
• Min height for shells and rockets 12m
• K3
• Min height for shells and rockets 20m

• Some fireworks (heksehyl) must have a green
  safety fuse.
• Large fireworks articles (gt150g) must have
  firing instructions

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European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
1993-2005
Published Standards
17
Withdrawn standards
Due to (a) no interests of more than 3
members. (b) safety reasons
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A-deviations
Published standards
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6
2
1
1
4
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Conclusions
The harmonisation of basic safety requirements
for certain types of pyrotechnic articles, as
well as for all those that can be used by
non-specialist end users, would imply a high
degree of safety in the use of these articles.
However, the draft of the directive fails to
comply with the fundamental requirement regarding
the free circulation for goods in the internal
market.
This will result in articles with CE marking that
comply with minimum safety requirements, in an
internal market of free circulation, but which
will be impossible to commercialise or use in
northern European countries. We will be able to
manufacture products that are safe but
undesirable in some countries and yet, these
products are manufactured in countries of the
Mediterranean region, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
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Thank you very much ! We apology for all the
mistakes you may have found in this paper
Izaskun Astondoa izaskun_at_astondoapiroteknia.com G
uillermo Rodríguez-Bronchú contacto_at_afape.org.es