Case 13:

LAMINATION PRESS LAYOUT

By Jaime Rodriguez

 An industrial engineer was recently hired by a printed circuit boards manufacturer to do process layout design.  The engineer was assigned to do a re-layout of the lamination press room.  She started by analyzing each one of the process steps to optimize space and process time. 

 While conducting her study she found that the company was using a manual puncher in this area to punch alignment holes in the innerlayer material.  She noticed that the room was covered with dust and a white material.  When she asked the operator what this material was, she was told that it was fiberglass that came from the innerlayer material.  (The innerlayer material was composed of several layers of fiberglass coated with epoxy.) 

 Concerned about possible adverse health effects, the engineer visited the Environmental and Safety Department and requested an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) of the innerlayer material.  She was shocked to find out that that the material dust causes respiratory complications, even cancer, when breathed into the lungs.

 She returned to the lamination press room and asked the operator how long she had worked in this area.  The operator replied that it would be ten years the next month.

Question:

 Should the engineer tell the operator about the risk she had been running for the last ten years?

Solution: The engineer presented this problem to plant management.  The working area was evaluated.  Then the area conditions were modified to assure that nobody was exposed again to this material.  The employees were informed of the situation.  Medical examinations followed to be sure that their health had not been affected by exposure to the material.