AIC launches new safety guidelines for feed manufacturers to protect against fires and explosions
AIC have announced the release of their new ‘Control of Fire & Explosion Risks in Animal Feed Manufacturing Plants & Processes’ guide document following work by the AIC Health & Safety Feed Sector Forum.
The report has been written by Stephen Pope, a Chartered Safety Practitioner, former HSE Inspector of Health and Safety, and Member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health with 23 years’ experience in the milling and animal feed industries. He was supported with expertise from numerous bodies and organisations, including AB Agri, Carrs-Billington, Thompson Feeds, Mole Valley Farmers and the AIC Health & Safety Feed Sector Forum.
“Catastrophic fires and explosions in the UK feed industry are, fortunately, rare,” says Stephen Pope. “However, they can and do still occur. In the last few years we’ve seen a number of disastrous cases internationally that have resulted in multiple fatalities and severe injuries. Good standards and diligence is the foremost protection we have to ensure that such events do not occur in the UK.”
The document was written to assist the operators and designers of animal feed manufacturing plants and processes in preventing fires and explosions and to comply with legal duties under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulation 2002 (DSEAR). As a guide, it is suitable for both existing and new plant designs and modifications.
In addition to background and context on how explosions and fires can occur, the report outlines actionable guidelines that plants can incorporate to ensure safety remains paramount and all protections are robust and effective.
“We simply cannot rely on luck or become complacent,” adds Stephen Pope. “Good practice is non-negotiable when it comes to safety. Following these guidelines will prevent disastrous fires and explosions which is absolutely vital for the feed industry.”
ENDS
About AIC
As the UK agricultural supply industry's leading trade association, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) represents businesses in key sectors within the supply chains that feed the nation.
Its Member businesses supply UK farmers and growers with the animal feed, fertiliser, seed, crop protection products, trusted advice and quality services that are essential to producing food, as well as trading crops and commodities across the globe.
Formed in October 2003 by a merger of three trade associations, today AIC has over 230 Members in the agri-supply trade and represents £17.8 billion* turnover at farmgate.
AIC works on behalf of its Members by lobbying policymakers and stakeholders, delivering information, providing trade assurance schemes, and offering technical support.
AIC Services manages a range of services, including Trade Assurance Schemes and professional registers recognised by the UK Government as essential means to underpin feed and food safety alongside fertiliser security.
These schemes and professional registers include:
- Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops (TASCC)
- Feed Materials Assurance Scheme (FEMAS)
- Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS)
- European Seed Treatment Assurance (ESTA)
- Fertiliser Industry Assurance Scheme (FIAS)
- Feed Adviser Register (FAR)
- Renewable Energy Directive (RED)
- Forage Assurance Scheme (FAA)
- AIC Services Palm Oil Credit Scheme (APOCS)
*According to a 2023 survey of AIC Members.
Press Contact
Oli Hill, Head of Communications, AIC
+44 (0)1733 385230
[email protected]
