ISO 21583:2020

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 21583
First edition
2020-09
Firework displays — General guidance
Artifices de divertissement — Lignes directrices générales
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
© ISO 2020
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Types, safety distance and categories of fireworks displays . 3
4.1 Types of fireworks display . 3
4.2 Safety distance. 3
4.2.1 General. 3
4.2.2 Factors that should be considered for the determination of safety distances. 3
4.2.3 Determination of safety distance . 4
4.3 Categories of firework display . 4
5 Operating technology of fireworks displays . 4
5.1 Personnel . 4
5.2 Site . 4
5.3 Operation plan . 5
5.4 Products, equipment and auxiliary materials and tools . 7
5.5 Installation . 7
5.5.1 Installation of articles . 7
5.5.2 Installation of mortars . 8
5.5.3 Loading, connecting and testing of shells. 9
5.6 Ignition . 9
5.7 Suspension or termination of displays .10
6 Safety management .10
7 Risk analysis .11
Annex A (informative) Reference Data of Safety Distances .12
Annex B (informative) Categories of Fireworks Displays .15
Annex C (informative) Internal Distances and Examples of Installation of Shell Mortars .16
Bibliography .23
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 264, Fireworks.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This document is intended to provide guidance on the organization of fireworks displays carried out by
professionals in countries where such events are not fully covered by national legislation or industry
codes of practice.
The target readership for this document is the following:
— the parties involved in fireworks displays;
— the designing, operating and management personnel for fireworks displays;
— the relevant authorities in charge of monitoring fireworks displays.
The recommendations of the present guidance were drawn up with a view to improve the approach of
public safety where national provisions may be inadequate. In no case they are a full guarantee against
the hazards and risks of the use of fireworks. Other practices may exist leading to better results and
possible revisions of the present guidance. Organizers and operators of fireworks displays should be
aware that the proposed recommendations are only a step on the way toward better practices and that
only risk analyses can lead to maximize public safety in real and foreseeable conditions of firing, taking
into account local culture and risk acceptability and the conditions that prevail when the display is
fired. The examples given in this document are provided reference for the countries where they may be
applicable.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 21583:2020(E)
Firework displays — General guidance
1 Scope
This document provides guidance on the operation of fireworks displays by professional teams of
people with specialized knowledge. It is not applicable to the use of theatrical pyrotechnic articles
on stage, in filming locations, or any other locations. It is not applicable to displays that involve only
fireworks of categories 1, 2 and 3.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
fireworks displays
operations that are carried out at certain site and time, with choreography and design, by professional
personnel handling and firing a certain number of fireworks such as display shells, batteries and
combinations, lance fireworks, special fireworks, etc.
Note 1 to entry: This definition is also applicable to hand-fired fireworks.
3.2
display operation
operations that are related to fireworks displays (3.1) including installation, loading, connecting, firing
system test, firing control and after show check and clean-up
3.3
electric firing device
device that delivers the firing electric current to the electric igniters of the fireworks
3.4
electric firing system
system that includes the electric firing device (3.3) and commands and controls the whole sequences of
fireworks displays
3.5
electric igniter
electric igniting element that consists of leading wires, chips or bridge wires, ignition charge, protective
paint, varnish or cover and short circuit caps or twisted bare conductors at the ends of the leading wires
3.6
effect radius
maximum horizontal distance to which the firework effect expands from the burst point
3.7
firing spot
place where a firework or group of fireworks is set and fired
3.8
firing zone
area where several firing spots (3.7) are located
3.9
operation zone
area where the operators carry out all operations that are necessary for preparing and setting up the
fireworks display (3.1)
3.10
safety distance
minimum distance(s) of persons or flammable materials or obstructions from the article in the direction
of the effect to reduce the risk to as low as reasonably practicable
Note 1 to entry: The notion of acceptable “risk” depends on national regulations and/or national best practices.
3.11
firing safety distance
minimum distance between the firing zone (3.8) and the operators of the fireworks display (3.1), taking
into account the possible special protections that are set up
3.12
hazard zone
protection zone
area that is determined by the envelope of all safety distances of all the firing spots (3.7)
3.13
security zone
area where the access of unauthorised persons is forbidden by local authorities
Note 1 to entry: A security zone can be defined for the setup of the show and another security zone can be defined
for the firing of the show.
Note 2 to entry: The security zone extends beyond the operation zone and may be merged with it (e.g. during the
setup) or with the hazard zone (e.g. during the firing).
3.14
product group
several products to be fired in a sequence in a firing spots (3.7) and located at the same firing spot (3.7)
3.15
internal distance
minimum distance between products or product groups (3.14)
3.16
ground fireworks display
fireworks display (3.1) where no projected and/or propelled fireworks are fired
Note 1 to entry: For example, lancework, fountains, waterfalls, wheels etc.
3.17
aerial fireworks display
fireworks display (3.1) where projected and/ or propelled fireworks are fired
Note 1 to entry: For example, shells, rockets, batteries and combinations, Roman candles, aerial wheels etc. An
aerial fireworks display may include the firing of ground effects (for example, lancework, fountains, waterfalls,
wheels etc.).
2 © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

4 Types, safety distance and categories of fireworks displays
4.1 Types of fireworks display
Fireworks displays are classified into two types, ground fireworks displays and aerial fireworks
displays.
4.2 Safety distance
4.2.1 General
The meaning and interpretation of “safety distance” vary according to the countries and their local
...