Manufacturing fiber reinforced composites by hand lay-up method assessment of occupational health and safety risks

Composites have been used in industries such as automotive, aerospace, shipbuilding, as well as in the renewable energy sector in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, in many industrial applications including fishing rods, baseball bats, swimming pool panels and storage tanks. Fiber-reinforced composites are highly valued for their strong strength and rigidity properties. Vinylester, phenolic, epoxies, polyester, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, hardeners and solvents used as matrix materials and Kevlar fibers, glass and carbon, honeycomb and foams used as reinforcement materials can be quite toxic to the human body. Fiber-reinforced materials can be very toxic to the environment when disposed of in an uncontrolled manner and can cause major health and environmental problems in the future. During production, workers are exposed to vapors of the liquid matrix in the air, hardeners and solvents/thinners, as well as chopped fibers and particles. Cutting and processing of composites can further increase toxic inhalations of airborne composite particles, causing major rashes, irritation, skin disorders, coughing, severe eye and lung damage, and other serious illnesses. The majority of these hazardous materials can be controlled using personal protective equipment appropriate for the chemicals and materials used in composite manufacturing and processing. Not using personal protective equipment, not using the safety equipment of hand tools and not taking the necessary precautions within the framework of legal regulations also pose a serious risk. This study was carried out to ensure the implementation of occupational health and safety measures for employees in a workplace that produces fiber reinforced composites with hand layup. During the study, risks were identified and what kind of measures could be taken against these risks were determined. After the researches, a risk assessment study was applied by applying the 5x5 Type (L Type) Decision Matrix Method to determine the risks.