CTA Report, Draft 1, ISP Review - US Chemical Safety and Hazard ...

Table 5
Insurance Company Dust Issues and Recommendations
Company Inspection Date Recommendations and Issues
Royal
Insurance
CNA Risk
Management
January 1995 The 12/14/94 fire was intensified by accumulation of dust in
overhead areas. Installation of fans would prevent phenolic resin
dust from accumulating in the overhead and reduce the effects of a
fire should one occur. Thoroughly clean all overhead areas before
operating fans to avoid creating a large concentration of dust in the
atmosphere and possibly explosive concentrations of dust.
February 1997 Improve housekeeping at ovens to prevent fires. “A more frequent
and thorough cleaning procedure is needed to eliminate significant
buildup.”
FM Global November 1997 Remove dust accumulating on sprinkler heads.
Great American
Insurance
Companies
July 1999 Reduce the amount of fiberglass and lint dust in the air in the picker
and molding areas; check the exhaust system for efficient operation;
provide a better holding bin for the resin binder to prevent spills and
propagation of binder into the air; and vacuum areas for removal of
loose fibers and powder.
FM Global March 2001 In July 2000, substation no. 1 required full rebuilds of six 600-amp
circuit breakers due to heavy accumulations of dust and debris.
FM Global August 2001 Further concern over dust accumulation on sprinkler heads.
FM Global September 2001 Concern over manual activation of sprinkler system but due to
adequate training and marking of valves, the existing situation—
though “not ideal”—is “considered tolerable.”
FM Global June 2002 Removal of firewalls in product storage area would cause more
damage and increase length of production shutdown in the event of
a fire or explosion (Sections 3.4.2 and 10.2.2).
FM Global December 2002 Airborne dust contamination posed significant hazards to electrical
distribution system; accumulation in switchgear and breakers could
cause switchgear failure.
Copies of insurance inspection reports were normally sent to the plant, to the human resources or safety
manager, and sometimes to the company president. In some cases, CTA responded to the dust
housekeeping concerns by increasing cleaning frequencies. FM Global noted in September 2001 that the
cleaning of the sprinklers inside blend rooms had been incorporated into the normal cleaning routine.
CTA also replaced worn-out switchgear and installed an air filtering system to prevent dust from
accumulating in the electrical substation. The facility began to convert to dust-tight electrical enclosures.
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