Some textile fibres present a high fire risk both in the textile manufacturing process and during making - up, particularly where flammable waddings are present.
The awareness of this risk in the industry is often poor, with too great reliance placed upon the results of consumer ignitability tests.
A priced booklet "Fire precautions in the clothing and textile industries" gives more detailed advice on assessing the risks of flammable textiles.
Textile process dusts, in particular wool and cotton, for which workplace exposure limits (WELs) are in force, present health hazards in textile manufacturing, including carpets.
Up - to date COSHH assessments, control to within WELs, and simple health surveillance are priorities where dust is a hazard. For the wool industries typically dusty operations requiring action include opening, blending, carding, and backwinding. For cotton, control measures are likely to be required for most early processes including raw material handling, opening, carding, drawing, combing, beaming, ring spinning, and high speed winding. Cleaning shold be done by vacuum methods.
Good control of dyestuffs and finishing chemicals, with adequate and up to date COSHH assessments, are essential in the dyeing and finishing sector.
Guidance on the control of reactive dyes, including health surveillance, is contained in a series of Dyeing and Finishing Information Sheets 1-7.
Main causes of injury: Exposure to harmful substances - cleaning fluids, fume, splashes
Main causes of occupational ill health: Respiratory sensitisation from exposure to reactive dyesHigh temperature dyeing machines (HTDMs) are considered to be machines with an operating temperature of 100C or more. Additionally, if the temperature exceeds 110C, the chamber of the dyeing machines falls within the scope of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) 2000.
HSE Guidance note PM4 'High temperature textile dyeing machines' (ISBN 0 7176 1410 7) provides advice on safeguarding standards, safe operating procedures, maintenance and users duties under PSSR.
Recently, HSE's Textiles Sector Group identified that injuries were continuing to occur at HTDMs. In particular, there were a number of incidents associated with the failure to maintain the safety devices at the door locking mechanisms. A visit programme was therefore undertaken to look into this problem.
Several instances were found of serious defects in the safety devices at multi-bolted and quick opening doors. In the main these had been damaged or defeated by misuse. HSE inspectors issued prohibition notices on some of the machines, while with others repairs were carried out immediately to allow the machines to be used. The majority of these defects should have been identified and brought to the attention of appropriate people by the operators of the plant. A properly implemented preventive maintenance scheme should also identify such defects before a potentially dangerous situation could arise.
The findings of this investigation were disappointing in that the level of compliance with legislation and guidance together with the condition of the plant and the effectiveness of maintenance itself was poor.
As a result, efforts are now being made through publicity to raise awareness of the standards in PM4 within in the dyeing industry.