The most recent fire safety webinar hosted by the CIWM provided an informative review of the recently published WISH guidance, WASTE 28 Reducing fire risk at waste management sites.
The latest version of the WISH Waste 28 guidance, which was published April 2017, aims to provide good practice guidance which may potentially be used to propose alternative operating measures to those found in the Environment Agency’s Fire Prevention Plan Guidance.
Attending the fire safety webinar, Wiser Environment learnt that the guidance will shortly be due for further review following tests on appropriate firefighting techniques, which is scheduled for June 2017.
Sophie Stephenson, Environmental Consultant, Wiser Environment said: “We welcome the upcoming firefighting techniques tests to be carried out by WISH. In the absence of clear evidence it can often be challenging to demonstrate how proposed methods are appropriate to the site specific risk.”
The webinar also discussed the UKs other regulatory bodies’ position on the WISH guidance, with a suggestion being made that Natural Resources Wales will be developing their own fire safety guidance. SEPA who have provided their approval of the WISH guidance have yet to make comment on whether they will be adopting one of the already published fire safety guidance documents or whether they will be creating their own.