A fire broke out in a drying cabinet at a plant that manufactures resin-based electrical insulation and spread to a moulding machine. The emergency services used foam to extinguish the fire. The building was only slightly affected and there was little risk of pollution. The environmental inspection authorities, alerted by the fire-fighters, carried out an inspection on that same afternoon. As there appeared to be a certain amount of carelessness with regard to this plant’s operating conditions. An additional inspection was carried out in the presence of the operator, who was absent on the day of the fire.

Following this inspection, the environmental inspection authorities recommended that the Prefect issue formal notification order requiring the correction of the main problems noted:

• many liquid products were stored in drums or containers in a number of locations in the workshop without being connected to a retention system

• no fire wall isolating the storage of raw materials from the other rooms

• clear evidence on reading the annual electrical installation inspection report that the comments formulated by the inspection body had not been taken into account

• presence of three PCB transformers, two of which were no longer in operation but were still situated in the electrical room. With regard to the transformer still in operation, it was recommended to check its date of manufacture and determine the final disposal date defined in the national plan.