Be aware of new legislation – October 2014
The Explosives Regulations 2014 have been updated and new legislation will come into force on 6 October.
The Approved Code of Practice to the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005 will be withdrawn as of 30 September.
A new draft guidance document is available for anyone who has duties under the safety provisions of these regulations from the HSE website.
It will apply to duty-holders such as employers, private individuals, and other people manufacturing explosives, storing larger quantities of explosives, or storing explosives that present higher hazards or greater risks.
The publication provides technical help for duty-holders to comply with the safety provisions in the regulations.
It also contains material relevant to enforcing authorities such as local authority trading standards officers, the police, fire and rescue services and other emergency services. It may also be of interest to other government or regulatory agencies and waste disposal operators.
Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 – On 1 October 2014 the Petroleum (Consolidation) Regulations 2014 are scheduled to come into force.
Who do the Regulations apply to? – As with existing petrol storage legislation, they apply to:
• Workplaces which store petrol and dispense it through manual or electrical pumping from a storage tank, ie petrol filling stations (retail and non-retail)
• Storage of petrol at non-workplace premises, for example: private homes, clubs, associations, etc.
What happens to the current legislation? – The legislation below will be revoked:
• Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928
• The Petroleum Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc.) Regulations 1929
• The Petroleum (Mixtures) Order 1929
• Petroleum (Transfer of Licenses) Act 1936
• The Petroleum (Liquid Methane) Order 1957
• The Petroleum (Regulation) Acts 1928 and 1936 (Repeals and Modifications) Regulations 1974
• The Petroleum (Consolidation) Act 1928 (Enforcement) Regulations 1979
• The Petroleum Spirit (Plastic Containers) Regulations 1982
The following documents are being withdrawn without replacement:
• Approved Code of Practice COP6: Petroleum-Spirit (Plastic Containers) Regulations 1982
• Requirements for testing and marking or labelling
• Approved Document L93: Approved tank requirements. The provisions for bottom loading and vapour recovery systems of mobile containers carrying petrol
• The Approved Code of Practice ACOP L133 ‘Unloading petrol from road tankers’ is being reviewed and updated as part of the consolidation work.
The HSE plans to publish a revised version of L133 by the end of 2014.
Here are some examples of the questions asked and answered within the regulations:
What size containers can I use?
• The new Regulations state that petrol can be stored in the following containers – plastic containers up to 10 litres (previous regulations restricted this to 5 litres), metal containers up to 20 litres (previous regulations restricted this to 10 litres)
How much petrol can I store on a vehicle?
• You can store up to 30 litres of petrol in a maximum of two suitable portable petrol containers in a vehicle (including boats and aircraft). This type of storage counts towards the total storage at non-workplace premises.
The Acetylene Safety (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2014 – These Regulations come into force on 1 October 2014.
They consolidate existing legislation for activities relating to acetylene and regulate the manufacture, importation, sale, use and transportation of liquid, solid and compressed acetylene gas, as well as the compression of that gas, and the filling of cylinders with this gas, by means of a series of defined duties, safety and licensing requirements.
The new regulations revoke provisions contained in the Explosives Act 1875 and revoke and replace legislation made under it.
