Case Studies » TK Components
The Challenge
An independent survey of operations associated with the recently built spray plant building at TK Components site in Manchester was undertaken in 2012 at the request of senior management. Spray Plant facilities at the Cranberry Drive site in Manchester allow for the application of a number of different finishes to cabinet components to suit a wide client base and specific market requirements.
Operations within the spray plant facility include manual dispensing and mixing of coating materials for spray application plus preparation / polishing of cabinet surfaces and general cleaning of equipment as necessary. Many of the surface coatings and primers contain a significant amount of flammable solvents – particularly the resin-based materials in use. Use of thinners and gun wash cleaner is a feature of spray application operations and these contain a mixture of flammable solvents – such as Toluene, Acetone, Ethanol or Ethyl Acetate.
The Solution provided
Key areas of activity involving hazardous materials on site focused mainly on: •Resin Mixing & Dispensing; contents of bulk resins containers being dispensed in smaller quantities for mixing with catalyst and / or thinners prior to use in spray application process. •Cleaning and Preparation that may generate dust particulates locally. Process dust may be hazardous and / or flammable especially where combined with flammable vapours. •Engineering & Utilities where DSEAR risks were not deemed to be significant based upon survey evidence.
Core process observed largely involved mechanical spray operations associated with surface application of resin-based materials to timber cabinets. Clearly any vapour presents a very high risk of fire and may, under certain conditions, be explosive.
A detailed zoning plan was provided along with relevant zonal drawings. To support this the business received a detailed report and a series of prioritized improvement actions to take the business forwards and improve the safety of the site.
What TK Components said:
I would like to thank everyone involved in our DSEAR assessment on your levels of service, your support team are always quick to respond, highly competent and extremely courteous, We received nothing but good professional support. The final product received was easy to understand and went above and beyond what we expected. I would not think twice about using you again. Thank you
