Industrial Fire Prevention

Our friend Jamison Scott, chairman of the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America’s Combustible Dust Task Force, attended one of the two Monday, Dec. 14, Combustible Dust Stakeholder meetings hosted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Scott, a corporate officer of Air Handling Systems , was joined by WMMA Legislative Council John Satagaj and Niels Pedersen of Dantherm Filtration , writes for the WMMA about the OSHA combustible dust stakeholder meetings held in Washington, D.C. last week. Manufacturers voice concerns at OSHA combustible dust meetings Fire protection standards, economics and reducing hazards of combustible dust were the hot topics at OSHA's Combustible Dust Stakeholder meetings, held Monday in Washington , D.C. Find out more about what was discussed in this exclusive report from Jamison Scott, chairman of the WMMA's Combustible Dust Task Force. Read the exclusive report

The American Society of Safety Engineers submits comments on proposed combustible dust legislation. You can read the entire article at the link above. Among their recommendations: a more organized, comprehensive approach by OSHA is needed to facilitate compliance. ASSE’s primary concern is that an answer to the current difficulties involving combustible dust risk management be based on sound science and done in a way that affords all stakeholders due process, without any undue delay. ------------ ASSE Submits Comments on Proposed Combustible Dust Legislation, Urges Caution The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), representing 32,000 occupational safety, health and environmental professionals, provided a statement for the record to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions’ Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety for their hearing held July 29 titled “Dangerous Dust – Is OSHA doing enough to protect workers?” ASSE urged caution in moving a...

From Control Engineering in Europe, a good article on electrical equipment used in areas with combustible dust. New European standards deal with surface temperature and impact energy. Dust Explosions: One spark might be enough

In Chemical Design, written by our friends at Farr, a good article for those in the chemical processing and other industries, on current explosion venting requirements: Chemical Design | Get Up-to-Date on Explosion Venting Requirements | Chemical Processing Operations in many chemical plants can pose the risk of dust explosions. One common potential source of such explosions is a dust collection system. It’s therefore timely to examine the latest complete revision of the “National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 68 Standard on Explosion Protection by Deflagration Venting” to see what’s changed and how this impacts future dust-collection decisions. The standard, which can be purchased online via the NFPA web site ( http://www.nfpa.org ), applies to all closed-vessel dry-collection systems such as cartridge-style dust collectors. So, here, we’ll share our understanding of five key implications of NFPA 68 as they relate to cartridge dust-collection systems. 1. NFPA 68 has change...

OSHA announces development of a combustible dust standard NFPA’s comprehensive standards considered as a basis The NFPA standards on combustible dust: NFPA 654, Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids NFPA 664, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities NFPA 61, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Facilities NFPA 484, Standard for Combustible Metals NFPA 655, Standard for Prevention of Sulfur Fires and Explosions

Here is an article of importance to anyone in the chemical process industries... What Will Proposed Hazcom Revisions Mean to You? OSHA has proposed a rule that would align its hazard communication standard (HCS) with provisions of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).

Here is an excellent PowerPoint presentation on Combustible Dust for you wood shop owners, as well as others. Similar to the one I did in July at the NFPA-America's Fire & Safety Expo in Miami.  Brought to you by our friends at  Air Handling Systems. The Dollars & Sense of going green Combustible Dust … an Explosive ... April 2008 - The House passes the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Act, H.R. 5522 by a vote of ...

Combustible Dusts Some of the industries that could have a combustible dust hazard include: ... Train employees on Hazard Communication (including combustible dust hazards). ...

ISAKSON, CHAMBLISS CALL FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH ... ISAKSON, CHAMBLISS CALL FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS ON COMBUSTIBLE DUST IN WAKE OF INVESTIGATION OF EXPLOSION AT IMPERIAL ...

Our friends at Occupational Health and Safety have also raised the issue of Combustible Dust on their website. Combustible Dust Raises Explosive Issues -- Occupational Health ... Employees and managers should be trained to recognize and prevent combustible dust fires, and facilities should have a damage control plan that includes ...

Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires-ATEX: Wood Pellet Dust Fire Non-Issue? This was originally posted by John Astad at dustexplosions.blogspot.com Combustible dust should be a major source of concern in process industry, and especially in the new bio-fuels industries that do not have historical experience with fire and explosion prevention. When you are drying, grinding, pulverizing, conveying, and compressing wood flour (or other organic material), you are creating the perfect storm for a combustible dust fire or deflagration. Every time you move or manipulate product in the process you are creating combustible dust. Then all you need is an ignition source for combustion. Ignition sources are plentiful in the drying, grinding and pellitizing stages. And it is very easy to convey a spark or ember into a combustible dust cloud within the pellet cooler, dust collector, and storage bin. These small fires they are currently experiencing in the bio-fuels industries are warning signs...