Joint initiative to reduce fire risk at waste facilities

Staff from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) recently took part in a one day exercise with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) and the Health and Safety Executive NI (HSENI) to help reduce fire risk at waste facilities.

Bailey Waste staff meet the 3 Agencies at their recycling facility in Craigavon.

The initiative marks the beginning of a process of partnership working between the three agencies to introduce a process aimed at reducing the risk and impact from a fire in addition to minimising the risk to firefighters when attending such an incident.

The exercise involved a desktop study of a sample of waste sites followed up by joint visits to assess and make recommendations on how to reduce the specific fire risk at each of four individual sites. The sites included in the exercise were Re-Gen Waste Ltd Newry, Bailey Waste Recycling NI Ltd Lurgan, Cherry Pipes Ltd Lurgan and McKinstry Skip Hire Ltd Newry.

The waste management industry has welcomed this approach and the initial exercise proved a useful opportunity for each site to gain practical advice from the three Agencies to mitigate the risks of a potential fire breaking out on their premises. 

Notes to editors: 

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