From the North Western branch
Join us at the University of Lancashire for this
free, in-person event in collaboration with the University of Lancashire, Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, and the SFPE UK division.
Speaker: Geoff Smallwood
Geoff is currently semi-retired, working part-time as a consultant in the field of health, safety, and fire risk in waste and recycling. Until mid-2019, he was employed as Renewi plc’s (formally Shanks) SHEQ (safety, health, environment, and quality) and Insurance Director, reporting direct to the company’s CEO, and overseeing a team of more than 75 SHEQ professionals, including five divisional SHEQ directors, across eight countries.
Geoff holds various safety and environmental qualifications and sits on the WISH (Waste Industry Safety and Health) Forum Steering Group. He is a CIWM member and a Chartered Waste Manager.
Geoff has written or co-written more than 20 formal guidance documents on various aspects of health and safety relating to the waste and recycling industry. He chairs the WISH waste fires working group.
Topic: Reducing Fire Risk at Waste and Recycling Sites: Evidence, Guidance, and Emerging Challenges
This CPD session explores 2013 as a pivotal year for waste and recycling site fires, highlighting the scale and consequences of incidents that drove increased regulatory and industry attention, and established a clear need for robust guidance and targeted research. It examines the production and development of WISH WASTE 28, Reducing Fire Risk at Waste and Recycling Sites, outlining its objectives, scope, and the collaborative approach adopted by industry stakeholders.
The session then presents an overview of the WISH waste fire test programme, covering Phases I, II, and III, with a summary of the experimental methodologies and key findings. Building on this evidence base, the CPD discusses the implications for fire-fighting operations and the effectiveness and limitations of fixed fire suppression and extinguishing systems, alongside management-based approaches to reducing waste fire risk, including site layout, operational practices, monitoring, and staff competence. It also reviews fixed system approaches to fire risk reduction and considers developments since the publication of WISH WASTE 28, before concluding with current and emerging concerns, particularly the rapid rise of lithium-ion battery fires at waste sites and during waste collection activities.