19 July 2004 - Reminder from HSE to the Fibre Reinforced Plastics Industry of Fire and Health Hazards
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published guidance for all fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) firms to ensure they are aware of the risks of fire, explosion and styrene exposure.
Fibre Reinforced Plastics are a combination of a fibre and plastic resin that combine to produce rigid strong material such as the more common Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) used to produce products such as baths and boats.
Two information sheets have been published by the HSE, outlining the actions industry should take to reduce the risk of incidents from fires and explosions, and how to assess and control workers' exposure to styrene:
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poor control of styrene can put workers health at risk. Plastics Processing sheet No. 14 “Assessing and controlling styrene levels during contact moulding of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) products” summarises the health hazards that can arise from exposure to styrene and gives practical guidance to FRP manufacturers on assessing and controlling styrene levels in the workplace.
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fires and explosions in the industry result in injury to workers, lost production, and sometimes complete closure of businesses. Plastics Processing sheet No. 15 “Reducing the risk of fire or explosion during the manufacture of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) products” summarises what can be done to control fire and explosion hazards in fibre laminating and aims to help businesses carry out risk assessments and decide what control measures are needed.
The Plastics Processing sheets can be found on the HSE web site here:
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Plastics Processing sheet number 14: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/pps14.pdf
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Plastics Processing sheet number 15: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/pps15.pdf
