An independent inquiry commissioned by the government has found that a spate of explosions in fireworks factories last year was caused by two main factors - undue haste and lack of attention by the manufacturers and the use of excessively volatile chemical mixtures which have been banned in other countries.

The commission, headed by Prof Alfred Vella, made several recommendations including the setting up of a testing centre to test chemicals, the banning of the mixture of potassium chlorate with metals, a limitation of the use of potassium perchlorate, improvement in the transport of fireworks, including the setting up of fire barriers within the transport vehicles; and testing of chemicals imported for use of fireworks factories.

Prof Vella said tests carried out by the commission found the chemicals were of the proper standard and quality was not a factor in these incidents, but they still felt that tests should be held locally and regularly.

There are 39 fireworks factories in Malta and Prof Vella said the commission believed there should be a greater number for greater dispersal, rather than having some factories making and storing fireworks for various feasts, with the resultant pressures and dangers.

Prof Vella observed that according to statistics, manufacturers tended to be careful in the two years after a spate of incidents, but care then appeared to wane. Therefore there was an urgent need to introduce new rules before major accidents took place once more.

He said that fireworks manufacture was, by and large, still an amateur pursuit and there needed to be laws to regulate chemical quality and chemical mixtures in fireworks production.

Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici said the report would be published in full and would be open for discussion. A conference will be held before any recommendations are made law.

Prof Vella said the commission had examined the 99 fireworks incidents between 1981 and 2010 and spoken to many fireworks manufacturers.

No country he said, had a three month fireworks season like Malta. The incidence of accidents here was high, he said. In the UK, he said, the rate of fireworks accidents is 0.0001 per factory per year. Transposing that to Malta would mean that Malta should have an accident every 250 years.

The inquiry report can be read in the link below.