At around 9:30 a.m., a fire broke out in a 600 m² workshop located inside a 3,200 m² manufacturing plant producing polyurethane technical parts. An operator in the central polyurethane casting workshop was using a burner to clean a turbine near a skip containing polyurethane waste impregnated with flammable material (1,3-dioxolane). An initial explosion erupted inside the skip, followed by a fire. An operator nearby grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. A second, much larger explosion then ripped through the skip, expelling flaming waste. One of these projections was thrown into the door separating the two workshops, causing it to catch fire. All personnel present in the casting and finishing workshops, as well as the administrative staff, were evacuated and an employee alerted the fire brigade. The smoke extraction hatches on the roof opened, allowing black smoke to escape. The smoke thickened and flames could be seen exiting the hatches. The firemen arrived on site and were able to extinguish the fire at around noon.
Three employees were slightly injured (ringing in the ears). The firefighting water remained within the confines of the workshop and was absorbed by the materials present. Despite the amount of black smoke generated, the fire brigade measured no particular toxicity in or around the building. The fire destroyed a 200-litre drum of methylene chloride, two tanks (320 l and 1,000 l) of resin, and a 2,000-litre tank of prepolymer. In addition, the roof of the partially destroyed building was made of asbestos-coated fibre-cement sheets. To qualify the health risk related to asbestos, a specialised company conducted dust measurements inside and outside the building to determine the concentration of asbestos fibres. Samples of materials likely to contain asbestos were also taken (walls, etc.). The dust measurements indicated that there was no asbestos in the indoor and outdoor air, while the samples showed the presence of asbestos in some materials. Cleaning and decontamination operations of the affected areas were scheduled. Activity at the site was halted and 40 employees were temporarily laid off. The operator hopes to restart activities within 8 weeks.
The following measures were taken:
- review of safety and risk procedures and the location of risk areas,
- study of the formation of explosive atmospheres (ATEX) was carried out to present the risk of explosion.
In addition, the layout of the various workshops was modified to take account of the results of specific studies (ATEX, location of risks). In particular, the workshop where flammable product is used was moved to the end of the building.
