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TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION


INDUSTRIAL LABELLING SYSTEMS SUPPORTS COLD CHAIN OPERATIONS WITH RELIABLE LABELLING IN FROZEN ENVIRONMENTS


Industrial Labelling Systems (ILS), a UK-based supplier of print and apply labelling systems for manufacturing and logistics, is supporting cold chain operations with solutions engineered to perform in frozen and chilled environments down to –30°C. Cold storage presents challenges including moisture, condensation and reduced adhesion, while manual labelling can create inefficiencies, errors and uncomfortable working conditions. As cold chain logistics evolves, maintaining throughput, traceability and compliance is increasingly important. ILS offers Evolabel print and apply systems, including pallet labelling solutions, designed to operate reliably in sub-zero conditions without heated


enclosures. Lightweight, motorised applicator arms reduce manual handling and operator exposure to freezing environments, helping improve safety and consistency. Compact designs, minimal moving parts and flexible application enable accurate labelling of irregular pallets, while reducing maintenance needs. ILS provides complete systems, software, materials, installation and support across the UK and Ireland.


ILS u https://ilsystems.co.uk/


HOT WORK IN 2026: WHY £1.3 BILLION IN FIRE CLAIMS SHOULD CHANGE HOW COMPLIANCE TEAMS APPROACH WELDING BAY SPECIFICATION


Hot work is consistently identified as one of the most expensive ignition sources in UK commercial fire claims. Zurich’s published risk data attributes around 15% of fires in commercial and industrial properties to hot work activities. The Fire Protection Association, analysing 218 fires in buildings under construction in England, attributed approximately 20% to hot work. The Association of British Insurers reported £1.3 billion paid in fire claims to customers in a single year. For compliance teams, the implication is clear: hot work warrants closer specification scrutiny than most other operational risks of comparable financial exposure.


The standards landscape is shifting


Two distinct standards apply to what is often loosely called a “welding curtain.” (https://www.curtain-and-divider.com/industrial-welding-curtains/) HSE references BS EN ISO 25980:2023 for arc-light and UV screening, the product positioned between the welder and nearby personnel to filter harmful radiation. Separately, BS 5867-2:2008 Type B governs flammability performance of fabric curtains in commercial buildings. These are different products for different purposes, and specifying the wrong standard for the application is a common audit-trail weakness.


Approved Document B for England, last updated March 2025, is progressively withdrawing the older BS 476 national fire test classes in favour of BS EN 13501- 1:2018 Euroclass classifications through the 2025, 2026 and 2029 amendments.


Compliance teams maintaining product specification records should ensure documentation references the current Euroclass system rather than legacy national classes.


The procedural reality


Insurance industry reporting and litigated case law point consistently to procedural failures as the operative driver of claim disputes, not product certification. The Fire Protection Association’s RC7 hot work guidance, now in its seventh edition, sets out the framework most UK commercial fire policies reference: a written hot work permit, supervised by a competent permit issuer; clearance of combustible materials within the specified radius; a continuous fire watch during and after the work; and not starting hot work within 60 minutes of the end of the working day.


Standard commercial fire policies typically frame these as conditions precedent to liability. Recent published analysis from specialist insurance practice points to permit failures, inadequate combustible clearance, and insufficient post-work fire watch as the documented breach categories in litigated disputes, with Section 11 of the Insurance Act 2015 providing only limited relief where the breach could not have increased the risk of the loss.


The audit-trail recommendation


For compliance teams reviewing their hot work programme in 2026, the practical priorities are: documented test certificates for any product specified to BS 5867-2 Type B, BS EN ISO 25980 or BS EN 13501-1 as appropriate; verified RC7-aligned permit procedures; and a clear position on whether hot work could be designed out of the relevant operations, a question HSE itself has begun to ask following the Station Hill investigation.


AKON CURTAINS LIMITED u takoncurtains.co.uk


INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE | SPRING/SUMMER 2026 33


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