The production plant in Brzeg Dolny is mainly involved in the continuous slabstock flexible polyurethane foam production. It is manufactured using two technologies: classic low-pressure and high-pressure „novaflex” foaming technology using liquid CO2. The liquid materials are pumped into the mixheads of the foaming machine from where, after thorough mixing, they are supplied to the trough. The process of growth (foaming) of the mixed ingredients starts here, with the chemical reaction of diisocyanate and water. The result is a 2 m-wide, 1.2 m-high foam block, which is cut into several dozen-meter segments in the technological process. The foam blocks end up in a ripening area for approximately 16 hours. After this period, the foam blocks are transported to the long block storage and then delivered, as required, to the short block cutting lines. Short blocks are sold directly to customers or transferred to the cutting center where they are cut into slabs to match the customer needs.
The facility has an approved Safety Report — Decision No 1083/2010 of 23 September 2010. WZ-5586/65-9/2010 issued by the Chief of the Voivodship Fire Department.
The scenarios for major industrial accidents are connected with:
– release of a hazardous substance, the toulene diisocyanate (TDI)
– polyurethane foam fire
For scenarios involving the release of a hazardous substance, the hazard zone shall not exceed the plant grounds. It will be contained in a dozen or so meters around the spill.
For scenarios related to the polyurethane foam fire, the danger zone will exceed the plant grounds. Victims are unlikely, but toxic, volatile combustion products can occur to a degree that does not endanger health and life in the immediate vicinity of the plant in extremely unfavourable weather conditions.
In order to eliminate the risk of major industrial accidents and to minimize the consequences in the event of an accident, in response to the provisions of the Seveso III directive – Vita Polymers Poland Directive, in its plant in Lublin, implements Major Accident Prevention Policies by appropriate means, structures and by implementing a safety management system, commensurate with the major accident risks and the complexity of the organization of the plant.
This is reflected in the following ACCIDENT PREVENTION PROGRAM for the Vita Polymers Poland production plant in Lublin.
The basic guideline for the Safety Policy of the Vita Polymers Poland Company, which is an integral part of The Vita Group international corporation, is the „Code of Business Conduct, Conducting Business by The Vita Group Companies”, first point of which is „Part 1 – Environment, Health and Safety Policy”.
In this document, the corporation states, among other things, that „The Vita Group willingly and with conviction accepts its social, ethical and legal obligations. We believe that good risk management in the field of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) is equivalent to good business activity. In Lublin foam production plant the „Vita Polymers Poland” company has taken a number of organizational measures to eliminate the possibility of a major chemical accident. The Vita company has a number of specific EH&S policies, concerning: » Risk Management, » Fire Safety, » Hazardous Work Permits, » Elevated Work, » Contractor control, » Change Management. Organizational activities are supported by the use of technical support measures, i.e. smoke detection systems, monitoring of hazardous substances release, sprinkler system, etc.
