SCENARIO

Cover Up is an organisation specialising in powder coating metal components. They employ five

factory workers, a factory manager, and two office workers between the hours of $8am$ and $9pm.$

They own a $400m^2$ factory building located in a large industrial estate with a car park at the front.

The factory floor is an open$-$plan area where items to be coated are brought in through a large metal

roller shutter door. They are then stored on the floor or against the walls near the roller shutter door

prior to being worked upon. Also next to the roller shutter door is the main entrance door. This door

is also an emergency exit door that opens out into the car park.

Items that are powder coated can range from ducting components, household appliances,

automobile parts, and ironwork such as gates and bicycle frames.

Located on the factory floor are various pieces of equipment used in the preparation of items before

the coating process. This equipment consists of a free$-$standing pillar drill, a bench$-$mounted grinding

wheel, a powered hack saw, and a large workbench with various hand$-$operated tools. Evidence of

overspray from the coating process can be seen in many places on the factory floor. Some powder

and dust accumulations can be seen on machinery. To the right of the factory floor, there is an

internal fire door leading into a corridor. Workers must push hard to get this door open. The door

seal is frayed, and the door hinges have become bent.

Leading off this corridor is an office, a kitchen area and toilet facilities. Advertising posters,

certificates and framed pictures have been placed along this corridor wall, some of which partially

cover fire notices.

The kitchen area, situated opposite the office is available for workers to use during their breaks. In

the kitchen area there is a microwave, sink, kettle, and a small wooden table and upholstered chairs.

A labelled emergency exit door that opens out into the car park is located at the end of the corridor.

As smoking is not allowed inside, some workers have a habit of wedging open the emergency exit

door so that they can step outside to smoke a cigarette during their breaks.

While walking through the factory, office workers have noticed rodent droppings and evidence of

chewed cables. The electrical system within the factory has never been replaced or upgraded since

Cover Up moved into the premises. A complete review and overhaul of the electrical system is being

considered, as there are concerns about interruption to production. A pest control company will be

contracted to regularly place rodent bait in$,$ and around, the factory. As part of their explosive atmosphere risk assessment the factory manager

used their personal judgement and opinion to classify work areas into

hazardous zones. They quickly decided to classify the whole building as

Zone $1.$

$($a$)$ Explain why this may not be the correct decision. $($b$)$ What should the factory manager have considered when setting the zone

classifications? c$)$ Assuming other hazardous zones exist within the whole building, what

control measures should the factory manager consider within these

hazardous zones? Note: You should support your answer, where applicable, using relevant

information from the scenario.