Safety

[One Way David]

I watched a program on The Science Channel today about How It's Made (I know its a disease). This was a factory making fiberglass glider airplanes. I remember they used fiberclass and kevlar cloth and polyester and epoxy resins. In gluing the two halves of the wing together, they used cotton fibers to thicken the resin. It showed the workers using nitrile glove, roller applicators and they were dressed in various shorts, t-shirts and no breathing or eye protection. They were laying FG and sanding the molded pieces in clean up. It looked like a modern indoor factory. Seems to go contrary to everything I've experienced and read here. How could they tolerate the fumes or dust?

[Rachel]

Assuming they're not just living dangerously, I wonder if there was some kind of "whole house" dust collection system for when they were sanding or mixing in thickeners?

Epoxy "fumes" aren't really toxic, as I understand it (although the sanding dust is, and you don't want to get it on your skin when it's liquid, hence the gloves). Polyester I think would warrant a respirator; I wonder if they were using only epoxy in the part they showed, but they simply spoke of using polyester at other times?

Otherwise, it seems odd.

Rachel

[Hirilondë]

The actual practices in many places that work with laminating materials are often far from safe. I do find it strange that any company would flaunt unsafe practices on television though.

[Rachel]

That's what got me, too. You'd think they'd don the respirators for a TV show, at least.

R.

[jollyboat]

I am not proud of it and hope like hell it doesnt come back to bite me -but I have done more grinding and the like with fiberglass, epoxy, bottom paint, and whatever else that boats are made of without so much as a bandana - young and dumb I guess - that was about twenty years ago - so far so good. Keeping my fingers crossed.