Industrial Fire Prevention

Group seeks to reduce explosions Industry-led Manufacturers Advisory Group (MAG) has the goal of providing the industry with a better understanding of (and improved ability to manage the risks created by) combustible wood dust. by Treena Hein | Jun 2014 As a result of BC Safety Authority (BCSA)’s investigations into the Babine Forest Products and Lakeland Mills sawmill explosions in 2012, it issued a safety order in 2013 to over 400 wood processing facilities in B.C. that may have equipment installed in locations deemed hazardous because of the potential presence of combustible dust.  June 10, 2014 - The British Columbia forestry sector saw two dust explosions at sawmills in 2012, and in each explosion, two people were killed and others were injured. These terrible events spurred the creation of an industry-led Manufacturers Advisory Group (MAG), which has the goal of  providing the industry with a better understanding of (and improved ability to ma...

WPAC - Lack of concern - from Canadian Biomass Magazine Despite dust explosion tragedies, many mills fail inspections. Written by Gordon Murray    It has been more than two years since the January and April 2012 explosions that destroyed the Babine and Lakeland sawmills in central British Columbia, tragically killing four workers, injuring forty-four more, and putting hundreds out of work. Investigations by WorkSafe BC (WSBC) and BC Safety Authority (BCSA) determined that both explosions were preventable, having been caused by ineffective control of combustible dust. Each mill was cutting beetle-killed pine, which produces a considerably greater volume of wood dust and much finer dust than from cutting green wood. Suspended dust, confined space, oxygen, and an ignition source combined to cause both explosions. Regulators and forest industry leadership responded swiftly and aggressively. WSBC developed a combustible dust strategy ...

NFPA Standards- a viable solution to reduce combustible dust accidents From the National Fire Protection Association Blog Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso wrote an opinion piece, which appeared in Saturday’s New York Times where he chronicled a number of horrific manufacturing accidents in recent years that had significant fatalities and worker injuries. All were attributed to combustible dust. The most recent example was an explosion in a metal products factory in China this month that claimed the lives of 75 people and injured 185. He voiced his frustration about a lack of action to prevent these tragedies. I share his frustration for two reasons. First, while combustible dust is a normal by-product of the manufacturing process for a variety of items, if it is effectively managed it will reduce deaths and injuries should a fire or explosion occur. Second, NFPA codes and standards provide the means to manage combustible dust but are not being ado...

Final report on AL Solutions metal dust explosion and fire that killed three in West Virginia - Industrial Fire Journal - Fire & Rescue from the Hemming Group Ltd Final report on AL Solutions metal dust explosion and fire that killed three in West Virginia Published:  18 July, 2014 CSB renews call for OSHA combustible dust standard and releases safety video on the accident. The US Chemical Safety Board’s report reiterates a recommendation that OSHA promulgate a general industry combustible dust standard, something the agency has been calling for since its definitive 2006 study on these preventable accidents. The December 9, 2010 accident at the facility that milled and processed scrap titanium and zirconium metal killed three employees and injured a contractor.  The incident at the facility in New Cumberland, West Virginia, is one of nine serious combustible dust incidents investigated by the CSB since 2003. These explosions and fires caused 36 deaths ...

Chemical Safety Board releases report on dust explosion incident Chemical Safety Board releases report on dust explosion incident The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) , an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents, has released its final report, safety recommendations and an accompanying safety video in regard to a fatal combustible dust explosion that occurred at AL Solutions ’ metal recycling facility in New Cumberland, West Virginia, in late 2010. The report reiterates a recommendation that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgate a general industry combustibledust standard, something the agency has been calling for since its 2006study on what the board says are preventable accidents. The Dec. 9, 2010, explosion at the West Virginia facility, a miller and processer of scrap titanium and zirconium metal, killed three employees and injured one contractor. The CSB says the West Virginia incident is one of...

Combustible Dust: Solutions Delayed - Safety Videos - Multimedia | from the the U.S. Chemical Safety Board Final Report on AL Solutions Metal Dust Explosion and Fire that Killed Three in West Virginia Leads CSB to Reemphasize Call for OSHA Combustible Dust Standard    CSB Releases Safety Video on Accident, “Combustible Dust: Solutions Delayed” Charleston, WV, July 16, 2014 – Today the US Chemical Safety Board released its final report, safety recommendations and accompanying safety video into a fatal combustible dust explosion at the AL Solutions metal recycling facility in New Cumberland, West Virginia. As presented to the Board for a vote at a public meeting in Charleston today, the report reiterates a recommendation that OSHA promulgate a general industry combustible dust standard, something the agency has been calling for since its definitive 2006 study on these preventable accidents. CLICK HERE to VIEW VIDEO ...

From Biomassmagazine.com "the NFPA specifies in its Standard 664, paragraph A.8.6.2.2: “The spark extinguishing system should activate every time a single spark is detected .” Spark Detection: Plant’s First Line Of Defense Understanding the best application of infrared and heat detection sensors is important for effective control systems. By Jeffrey C. Nichols | June 22, 2014 The National Fire Protection Association defines combustible dust as “A finely divided combustible particulate solid that presents a flash fire hazard or explosion hazard when suspended in air or the process-specific oxidizing medium over a range of concentrations.”  (NFPA 654, the Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions, 2013) The key to preventing a catastrophic event is to install effective prevention technology for detecting all sparks and embers in the incipient stage in the process, and extinguishing or diverting sparks before they igni...