EIF is a group that seeks to deliver continuous improvement in health and safety standards and performance to benefit the Explosives Industry and all of its stakeholders. It is a partnership between the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Explosives Industry, meets three times per year, and is chaired by HM Chief Inspector of Explosives. It delivers the strategy it has developed for improving standards of health and safety in the explosives industry by:
- ensuring active communication of health and safety objectives and targets;
- monitoring and reporting performance trends;
- providing a forum for HSE to explain and clarify enforcement policies and priorities;
- targeting and prioritising advice and guidance to the explosives sector;
- acting as a stimulus for identifying and meeting the health and safety research needs of the explosives sector; and
- sharing good practices from across the industry
Its members include representatives of most of the major organisations in the UK explosives industry, namely the Institute, the CBI – Explosives Industry Group (CBI-EIG, the British Fireworks Association (BFA), the British Pyrotechnists Association (BPA) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Though the Institute is not an explosives user, producer or supplier, it is recognised as being a key organisation which brings professionalism and independence to the EIF, where the Institute currently has two seats at the table.
As well as targeting and prioritising advice and guidance the EIF also monitors the progress of the working groups (WG) that are set up to draft it. One of these is the Guidance WG which maintains a comprehensive list of guidance for the whole of the UK explosives sector covering manufacture, storage, transport and disposal.
This Forum is a highly effective and cost-effective method of ensuring that the whole of the industry is aware of the standards and requirements that have been agreed by the sector and the way in which the standards may be achieved.
If any member of the Institute wishes to have a topic raised, please feel free to do so by contacting the Secretary on vickihall@IExpE.org and giving the relevant details.