I have returned to a site to review a FRA. They havent been particularly helpful, no actions from previous years actioned, some rooms not accessible etc etc.

There is a room that I am particularly worried about, it is about 3m x 3m and is used to mix chemicals from various containers. The first issue is the door to it was replaced with a timber door that doesnt fit the frame, no intumescent strip, proper door closer, doesnt stay closed. This has been the case for several years and the site insist it is a fire door because it has a special vent in the door, which it does, but you can see into the room through the gaps around the door.

Anyway, that isnt really my question, just sets some context.

There is a strong smell of solvent in the room, it does have a LEV system that is maintained, DSEAR has it as category 1. There are two benches with extraction in them and a room vent. There are cupboards with maybe 300l of flammable liquids in them, no bund, doors open of course. There are also plastic bunds which have larger containers of chemicals, which do not have their lids on, few rags scattered on them. One open container is MEK which i think is the cause of the odour.

There is a shadowboard for some tools, hammer, screwdriver, they are just carbon steel ones.

the chemicals are mixed with a compressed air tool, there is an ATEX heater and a light switched from outside the room.

I think this is dangerous, for the operator starting a fire while in there, the risk of a fire spreading to the room, or from the room, sparks from the tools, which i guess are used to open the metal drums. The fact that the room is just a messy tip doesn't help.

I ended up with a MEK migraine, and I was only in there for a few minutes.

I'm not quite sure how to go about reporting this, I'm the in house assessor, I don't want to go over the top, but I think there is a serious risk that someone is going to be injured in here, I just dont understand what the management there, or the on site HSE guy is doing. There are loads of other issues, including blocked up fire exits, as in, walled over, inner rooms without vision panels, manual only fire alarm, every single fire door wedged open etc etc etc.

Can anyone advise, or has anyone had experience with chemicals such as MEK?

I'm a man alone, so dont have anyone to discuss this with before writing a report, hence me coming here

The door could be an older type that does not require intumescent strips. it will have 1” door stops instead. But is sounds like it wants replacing

The vent through the door is acceptable with an intumescent grille as long as the door is not a smoke door, if it is then you need a damper in the door connected to the fire alarm.

What is more concerning is the cleanliness of the area, it sounds like there is a risk of spontaneous combustion of the discarded rags.

Flammable liquids should be kept to a minimum in the work area, no more than that required for the current shift.

See the attached

Storage of flammable liquids in process areas, workrooms, laboratories and similar working areas - HSE

How easy would you be able to walk into another job? If it's a bad as it sounds & they don't seem to care then it's time to consider 'dropping a dime' to the HSE (as we have process fire risk and H&S issues so sits more in their camp than the fire service) but even with whistle-blower protection if they think it was you then things may get awkward. Is the mixer and it's compressor ATEX as well?

I thought I had replied but anyway.

I had a chat at the most senior level and it has been taken seriously, so I am putting everything into the assessment

The site does have the older type of door, but they are in a sorry state too, fingers through the gap etc, these have proper door closers on them, not necessarily working but they are there. The new 'fire doors' they have fitted are using those hinge chain closers, so no pressure holding the doors closed, and are done to a pretty poor standard, certainly for a new installation, I genuinely dont think they know what a fire door is, and they cant tell the difference between a fire exit to the outside and a fire door. It's frustrating that they are carrying out building maintenance work without understanding what they are supposed to be achieving, its like they have seen a photo somewhere and are copying it. The specific door in question was an old fire door that has been replaced with a new door. I'm sure it was a fire door blank at some point, but that is where the similarities end.

I have been reading up on chemicals and ignition, but even an idiot in a hurry would raise an eyebrow!