Safety of Consumer Fireworks in Great Britain

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Safety of Consumer Fireworks in England, Scotland and Wales is always a widely discussed topic around Bonfire Night, November 5. The most common injuries are burns from hand-held fireworks such as sparklers. There are also injuries due to people being hit by projectiles fired from fireworks, although these can usually be explained by people setting up fireworks incorrectly. Other issues include the dangers of falling rocket sticks, especially from larger rockets containing metal motors. "Shock" adverts have been used for many years in an attempt to restrict injuries from fireworks, especially targeted at young people. The vast majority of fireworks are "Category 3, (Display Fireworks)" all of which state that spectators must be at least 25 metres away when the firework is fired. This is a safety concern as few people have access to that amount of private space. Other catagories include "Catagory 2 (Garden Fireworks)" for which spactators must be a minimum of 5 metres away when the firework is fired, and "Catagory 4 - Professional Use Only". Any firework classed as Catagory 4 may only be used by professional pyrotechnists and must not be sold to the general public.


Safety of commercial and display fireworks in the UK

In the UK, responsibility for the safety of firework displays is shared between the Health and Safety Executive, fire brigades and local authorities. Currently, there is no national system of licencing for fireworks operators, but in order to purchase display fireworks, operators must have licenced explosives storage and public liability insurance.