Hi All,
I've just returned from another very productive meeting with the HSE ELR working group at Bootle.
As usual it was very positive and a great reminder of how close we are to the new regulations coming into force. ER2014 will be an official paper in April 2014 with it coming into force in October 2014. So, our next AGM will be a whole lot more interesting from an ELR point of view as I will be able to officially present the regulations as they affect us. It will all be confirmed and almost in force by then.
I am still working hard on producing our own guidance documentation for the regulations. As you're probably aware, the HSE made the decision to not produce an ACOP for the new regulations but instead allow each explosive subsector to create their own specific guidance document around the regulations. We are ahead of the game with this in comparison to other subsectors and the document will be ready in time for the regulations when they come into force. I will release this for your consultation as soon as I'm happy that the document is ready to do so. Many thanks to Danny Kay for his expert help with this.
We should all be very proud of our part in the ELR by keeping the society professional and as respectable as it is. Over the last 4 years, we've gone from a very unrecognised body of enthusiasts to being a respected part of the UK explosive arena. This was demonstrated just today by both the HSE and the Home Office asking if they could attend one of next meetings (I suggested next years AGM), to come and help in promote the new regulations specific to our interests. The idea being, that I(we) present how the regulations suit our experimental manufacturing activities with the HSE and the Home Office providing regulatory assurance and that we have their support! Who would have thought 4 years ago that both those bodies would offer such support! They both deserve great respect for helping and encouraging us to be a part of the whole ELR process.
Anyway, suffice to say that next year is fast approaching and the dream of LEGAL small scale experimentation is almost with us. Please keep the faith and together we can keep smelling the smoke!
Cheers,
Wayne.