JAHARP2021-08 - Work Package 2 - Consumer Fireworks

Work Package Coordinator: PROSAFE, BE
Work Package Leader: ILT, NL

SCOPE

The objective of this project is to ensure that non-compliant consumer fireworks are removed from the Single Market by supporting EU MSAs in their market surveillance activities with respect to EU harmonised legislation in the long-term. Furthermore, it aims to verify the compliance of the tested products with the applicable standards and requirements, and ensure enforcement of the applicable Union legislation regardless of whether products are placed on the market via offline, online or other means of distance sales and regardless of whether they are manufactured in the Union or not – that is, bringing products into conformity or removing them from the market.

OBJECTIVE

The main objectives of this project are summarised as follows:

• Assessment and use of screening methods to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of market surveillance actions;
• Checking product compliance based on document inspection;
• Checking product compliance based on product testing;
• Check of compliance for online labelling;
• Feedback and recommendations from experiences with document inspection and product testing to support the further development of standards and legislation. Identification of circumvention issues;
• Impact assessment for the action.

PARTICIPANTS

6 Market Surveillance Authorities from the following 5 countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden.

JA2011 - Fireworks 1

The hazards related to fireworks are multiple and depend upon the sort of fireworks:

• Non-compliant fuses may cause the fireworks to explode too close to the consumer because the fuse burning time is too short, or the consumer will be tempted to go back to reignite the article, if the fuse burning time is too long.
• Fireworks with excessive net explosive contents compared to the standards will have too powerful effects that may harm consumers or damage properties.
• Fireworks with uncontrollable flight may hit consumers or property causing wounds, burns or fire.
• Burning or glowing debris from fireworks where the effect are released at a too low height may hit customers or property causing wounds, burns or fire.
• Fireworks that produce too loud sound effects may cause temporary or permanent hearing damages.
• In particular batteries and combinations may tilt when ignited resulting in shots being fired horizontally out between consumers where they can cause wounds, burns, blinding, eye injuries and hearing damages.

The primary focus of the activity was to develop best practices and exchange experience with the implementation of the new requirements of the Directive 2007/23/EC and/or EN 15947 and to build up a better understanding of the European market.

The following 10 Member States are participating in the Fireworks Activity: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and the Netherlands. In addition Iceland participated out of the financial scheme.

The activity included market surveillance, sampling and testing and follow up based on the results. The participating member states have sampled the following fireworks from the market: 

• Category 1 – Fountains;
• Category 2 - Small batteries and combinations, small rockets;
• Category 2/3 - Flash bangers and Roman candles.

JA2014 - Fireworks 2

The Fireworks 2 activity focussed exclusively on the physical and mechanical risks posed by these products and verified their conformity in terms of marking and labelling requirements.

The hazards related to fireworks are multiple and depend upon the sort of fireworks. Statistics show that spectators are also at risk: the likelihood to get injured as a spectator or as a user of fireworks is almost equal. There have been eighty-one RAPEX notifications in the past three years concerning the use of Fireworks.

This Product Activity was able to benefit from the best practices developed under JA2011. Furthermore, as in the meantime the fireworks market has changed significantly, a priority-setting activity formed a key aspect of the Joint Action.

Objectives

• To develop best practices and exchange experience with carrying out market surveillance activities for fireworks;
• To detect dangerous fireworks on the marketplace and take action against them;
• To develop a priority-list of fireworks to be targeted in future joint actions.

The Activity comprised 6 project meetings and laboratory testing of an estimated 200 products.

The participants

During this Activity, authorities from Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Slovenia  carried out coordinated market surveillance in their national markets, bearing in mind the need to synchronize with New Year or other seasons when the use of fireworks is common.

Final Report

The Final Technical Report of this activity can be downloaded by clicking on the cover page of the report or by clicking here. Very interesting information can be found within this report and it is particularly useful for market surveillance authorities and anybody else interested to know more about safety aspects of fireworks.