Western Australia is now one of the world’s leading fireworks managers.

Significant improvements to fireworks management in the State have been made following a major fireworks incident in the Perth suburb of Carmel, a year ago today.

The Carmel fireworks incident on 6 March 2002, involved a chain reaction of fireworks exploding. The largest explosion involved some 2,000 kilograms of fireworks and sent shockwaves some 30 kilometers away. Smoke was visible across most of the Perth metropolitan area for much of the day.

No-one was injured in the incident, and most safety requirements required by the Department of Industry and Resources, which oversees fireworks safety management in WA, including an exclusion zone and magazine construction, had been met by the operators.

General Manager Dangerous Goods Dr Peter Drygala said the incident resulted in WA’s most intensive incident investigation by the Dangerous Goods Inspectorate. In an example of transparency and accountability that set new benchmarks, the full accident report, including recommendations for improvement, witness accounts and non-compliances, were made public.

“As the Carmel incident was the first of its kind in Australia and only one of a small number that have occurred in the world, our understanding for such a scenario was limited,“ Dr Drygala said.

“The main cause of the incident was found to be a lack of knowledge by the industry and regulators throughout Australia of the potential for fireworks to mass explode and consequently, appropriate risk management practices which could have prevented such an incident, were not in place at the time.

“However, since then, many valuable lessons have been learned and WA has implemented new ways to better manage fireworks handling, transport, storage and use.

“These include systems for classifying fireworks into the correct hazard divisions and new procedures for the transport of fireworks, which see us now treating fireworks with the same level of caution and care as high explosives,” said Dr Drygala.

Comprehensive changes to policies and regulations for the storage of fireworks were also implemented during the year, including licences for the storage of small quantities of fireworks.

“There are now two systems for the storage of fireworks, one for small quantities and the other for quantities of more than 50 kilograms. Both systems have been designed to ensure residential housing is fully protected and public safety is at all times paramount,” Dr Drygala said.


“The main fireworks store in Perth is now located at the Government-owned Baldivis Explosives Reserve in an isolated area on the outskirts of the Perth metropolitan area, away from residences and other community facilities.

“I believe the systems, policies and procedures now operating in WA represent world’s best practice.”



MEDIA CONTACT: Katina Delaney on +618 9222 3789, 0411 864 727, or email katina.delaney@doir.wa.gov.au