Industrial Fire Prevention

From Risk management Masters: Risks can come from many directions, including legal, financial, disaster (natural or man made) and health, among other areas. The following top 50 risk management blogs looks at those areas and offers current information about management solutions for businesses across the spectrum. These blogs also look at various topics such as project management , technology, communications, safety and business continuity.

U.S. Industrial Fires/Explosions in this weeks news: VIDEO: Explosion at South Los Angeles Titanium Storage Warehouse for Golf Club Manufacturing | The Cardinal Source: arlingtoncardinal.com LA Fire Dept spraying water on a titanium fire. Guess what happens next? When exposed to elevated temperatures in air, titanium readily reacts with oxygen. This occurs at 1,200 °C (2,190 °F) in air, and at 610 °C (1,130 °F) in pure oxygen, forming titanium dioxide. As a result, the metal cannot be melted in open air since it burns before the melting point is reached. Melting is only possible in an inert atmosphere or in a vacuum.  Titanium can react explosively when contacted with water or even humid air. Video: Fire destroys former Ethan Allen plant Workers accidentally ignite blaze that levels the 220,000-square-foot. Watch the video. According to GoErie.com, state police fire marshals said fire was accidentally ignited by workers who were using tor...

From Feedstuffs.com Jacqui Fatka. OSHA looks to expand authority without legislation (12/7/2010) Jacqui Fatka Coverage from the 2010 National Grain and Feed Assn. Country Elevator Meeting held in Indianapolis, Ind. Dec. 5-7.  Now that the Democrats are no longer the controlling majority in the House, many of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) objectives can't be achieved though legislation. Moving forward, Jonathan Snare, partner in the labor and employment practice group for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Washington, D.C., said he expects OSHA to continue to implement as many policies as they can through non-legislative means. Snare, a former OSHA administrator under the Bush administration, pointed out that many of the top officials including assistant secretary of labor for OSHA David Michaels and deputy assistant secretary Jordan Barab have no private sector work experience, take an anti-employer view, ...

Case study from Allianz Risk Consulting Explosion Hazard in a Starch Facility: Risk Management in Practice   Allianz Risk Consultants are trained to assess many different types of risk, including those that can pose a potential personal threat. Oftentimes, the nature of their work puts them in harm's way. Recently, Rod Greenwood, Senior Consulting Engineer, encountered just such a threat when conducting a tour of a National Starch facility in the US. When Rod toured the plant on a recent visit, there was a coating of corn starch on just about everything in sight that was higher than 3 feet (1 m) from the floor.  Two "haze" areas were also found where corn starch suspended in the air made it difficult to see the wall on the other side of the room. Rod realized that this plant posed a safety risk, as fires and explosions could result from the large amounts of corn starch dust.  For safety reasons, the tour was stopped and immediately recommenda...

Journey to Safety Excellence From IMPO a good article discussing the reasons for developing the “journey to safety excellence” strategy by James Johnson, National Safety Council. Q&A With James Johnson, National Safety Council - Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operations Interview by Anna Wells, Executive Editor, IMPO James Johnson is responsible for leading National Safety Council advocacy initiatives to reduce deaths and injuries associated with workplace safety. Mr. Johnson works with a diverse group of stakeholders to establish and promote best practices for safety and health processes affecting employees on-the-job. With more than 30 years experience as a safety and health consultant, project manager, and team manager, Mr. Johnson has led development and delivery of progressive safety solutions for companies of all sizes and industries. He has managed multiple risk control disciplines, helping them to align strategy to actionable and measurable initiativ...

By Rich Christianson at woodworkingnetwork.com Pardon Your ComDust An OSHA -mandated combustible dust standard in likely a year or two away, but that doesn’t mean the federal safety agency isn’t already applying increased pressure on manufacturers to clean up their plants. As I witnessed firsthand yesterday at OSHA’s third in a series of Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meetings ( read report ), OSHA is intent on making a ComDust standard real. It’s a rule-making process that might not be happening if not for the Feb. 7, 2008 fatal explosion of Imperial Sugar’s plant in Port Wentworth, GA, that killed 14 and injured dozens of other workers. But happening it is. Ever since the Imperial Sugar tragedy, Congress has taken enhanced interest in safeguarding workers from ComDust hazards and OSHA inspectors have paid greater attention to dust accumulations in the workplace. The most recent example is OSHA’s announcement that it was fining H&H Woodworking of Yonkers, NY, $1...

Excellent post by Dr. Saraf. Familiarity with a process can often lead to complacency! Becoming Numb to Risks July 27th, 2009 | by Dr. Saraf | In our daily lives we often become immune to risks around us. For example, there are around 40,000 annual fatalities from automobile accidents in the US and yet we do not think twice before getting into their cars. We eat a burger ignoring the risks of heart problems! Why do we tend to ignore risks that we are frequently exposed to? To answer this question, I’m going to quote my graduate advisor - Dr. Sam Mannan. The first time your “low fuel” gauge lights up, you might get worried about running out of gas. However, if you make it to the gas station easily, you may not get as concerned the next time and wait some more time before you stop at a gas station. This relaxation of concern and the time you might wait to stop at a gas station after the gauge comes on might increase as you get more comfortable with the “alarm,” “wa...

From Manufacturing & Technology eJournal http://www.mfrtech.com And Gary W. Auman, Esq. Pending OSHA legislation makes the employer responsible to make sure employees comply.  It does not place any responsibility on the employees for utilizing their training and equipment. Without such a change the pending legislation will make it almost impossible for a company to avoid OSHA enforcement, no matter how conscientious and safe it is. OSHA Regulatory Update is Not Good News for Employers Pending Legislation Does Not Place Any Responsibility on the Employees for Utilizing Their Training and Equipment In an effort to pass OSHA legislation in 2010, the House recently attached portions of the Protecting America’s Workers Act to the Robert C. Byrd Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010. This action got the OSHA legislation out of committee and ready for a vote on the floor of the House. This legislation is not good news for employers. Other key points in this article: ...

Good article from American Express Small Business. Here are some of the highlights: Risk is an inherent part of being in business.  It can be managed and its adverse outcomes can be mitigated.  The greatest challenge for small business owners is to find the proper balance between peace of mind and profitability. Take these steps to put an initial risk management plan into place at your company: First: identify risks Some risks are common to most or all businesses.  Others are very specific to your business and only you as the owner can know them.  The best way to approach this is to use a standard risks checklist as a start and then add to it based on your specific expertise.  The Small Business Administration provides a Small Business Insurance and Risk Management guide which addresses potential risks.  Second: determine your company’s vulnerability for each risk Vulnerability is a function of probability – what are the odds that a partic...

This is another type of question we hear frequently.  Related to a previous post about how to upgrade and protect older dust collectors.  "If my dust collector is small enough can I keep it inside?" From our friends at Powder Bulk Solids, the "Ask the Expert" Blog, and Shawn McCorkle with Oseco, a question about keeping smaller dust collectors inside and avoiding mitigation: Explosion Venting/Suppression Q&A   If I keep the air/material separator under 8 ft. 3 in., can I avoid explosive mitigation? Answered July 26th, 2010 by Expert: Shawn McCorkle This is a tricky question. NFPA 654 (7.13.1.2) requires that protection be provided for air material separators that have an explosion hazard. Section 7.13.1.1 requires that air-material separators shall be located outdoors unless it is has explosion protection per 7.1.2.1 (venting through duct, suppression, innerting, containment, flameless venting...

From our friends at Powder Bulk Solids, and the "Ask the Expert" blog, and Rob Williamson at Dantherm, a question about the potential hazards or airborne contaminants and dust collection. Dust Collection & Pollution Control Q&A   Question: What are the potential hazards of the airborne contaminants that are removed by dust collection? Answered August 31st, 2010 by Expert: Rob Williamson Dust collection removes airborne contaminants, such as dust, mist and fumes from the work environment. The airborne particles created by cutting, shaping and grinding are more than a nuisance, they can be a serious health hazard to both health and safety if not properly controlled. Here are some of the potential problems of which you should be concerned: Respiratory effects are the primary health concern. Inhaling ...

Another good article from our friends at Farr on OSHA REQUIREMENTS and MANUFACTURERS RESPONSIBILITIES for COMBUSTIBLE DUST , DUST COLLECTORS and dust collection systems. The biggest misconception among manufacturers is that OSHA is just presenting them with a guideline, not with something they have to do. The fact is, OSHA is beefing up enforcement of safety measures on several fronts, and combustible dust has become one of the top priorities since the agency re-issued its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on this topic in March 2008. Under the OSHA NEP, manufacturers are required to follow applicable NFPA standards including the revamped NFPA 68 Standard on Explosion Protection by Deflagration Venting , which provides mandatory requirements for dust collection applications involving explosive dusts. Sometimes other safety standards such as Factory Mutual may be applied instead, but these are no less stringent than NFPA and all are treated as legal code by nearly every town ...

From Chemical Info, and author Mike Collins, comes a good piece on innovation. Here are a few hints: Leadership, Change and Creativity R&D and Experimentation Procedures and Processes Culture and Environment Problems, Trends and Opportunities He also has a few warning signs for you. Can you say "Outsourcing"?   BLOG: Just What Is Innovation? If the innovation process goes offshore, America will lose much of its capacity to generate wealth, and that decline in long-term economic growth is assured …  continue

This is a question, we hear frequently.  From our friends at Powder & Bulk Solids "Ask The Experts Blog", an article by Dr. Mayer with Rembe answering the question about what the requirements are for old dust collectors: Explosion Venting/Suppression Q&A   We are a food processing company with an old but still functioning dust collector that needs to be upgraded and currently has no vent panels. We have been told that we need to move the dust collector outside in order to be in compliance with NFPA standards. Kst is somewhere around 150 bar m/sec or less. Is that our only option? Answered September 9th, 2010 by Expert: Dr. Gerd Mayer Not necessarily. You really have a number of options. Depending on distances, Preds and such, you might be able to duct and vent the collector to the outside with an explosion panel if your collector is close to an exterior wall. But you need to pay attention ...

OSHA Issues Stern Warning to Grain Handling Facilities (Combustible Dust) From Our friends at Nilfisk Industrial Vacuum Blog: OSHA Issues Stern Warning to Grain Handling Facilities (Combustible Dust) Following several safety violations in August , OSHA is sternly reminding grain handling facilities to comply with the proper safety and maintenance procedures, outlined in the Grain Handling Facility Standard . At a recent press conference, David Michael, OSHA Administrator stated, “I am appalled at the outrageously reckless behavior of some operators of grain storage facilities. OSHA has investigated several cases involving worker entry into grain storage bins or elevators where we have found that the employer was aware of the hazard and OSHA standards but has failed to train or protect their workers. OSHA has aggressively pursued these cases and will continue to use our enforcement authority to the fullest extent possible…We will not tolerate noncompliance with our Grain ...

Fires and dust explosions are common and costly in many industries.  In this book Eckhoff has organized a comprehensive overview of his practical knowledge of the origin, development, prevention and mitigation of dust explosions, an up to date evaluation of testing methods, design measures and safe operating techniques. Included are the research and findings of many other scientists, creating a definitive reference guide for information on the causes, effects and alternatives available for dealing with this complex subject, providing an excellent resource on dust explosions. This book will serve as a foundational reference on the subject of dust explosions in the process industries.  Also provided is detailed information of all phases of the hazard and control of a dust explosion. An invaluable reference. -Jeff Nichols As a resource to our valuable clients and readers, we provide the book review below from our colleague PUJAN AGNIHOTRI. Mr. Agnihotri is an Associate Me...

As seen in Powder Bulk Solids, an excelent article by By Ed Ravert, United Air Specialists Editorial | What to Do When Old Dust Collectors No Longer Comply With New Standards Some Key Points: *Although seemingly cost-effective for a company to hold onto a dust collection system for so many years, this may also be a potentially hazardous decision when it involves combustible dusts. *Also noteworthy is the re-issue of the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 68 Standard on Explosion by Deflagration Venting. The completely revised Guideline is now a Standard that is enforceable by OSHA. *Combustible Dust: What Is It? *Options for Existing Equipment *Staying Safe If you are contemplating utilizing a used dust collector in a new application, I urge you to take a minute and click on the link above to read the rest of this article.

On his blog our friend Dr. Saraf asks: Inherent Safety = Lower Risks? He is speaking of chemical processes, but this thinking can be applied to other industries and processes. For example, on a dust collection system, considering where you locate the fan and what type fan used, whether to return the air back to the plant, etc., can lead to an inherently safer design. Recently a customer utilized a spark resistant fan on a wood dust closed loop relay system with light loading, thus reducing the need for additional spark detection and extinguishing systems in this particular design. The NFPA 664 Prescriptive design was to add Spark detection. By building the process safer, he was able to get his design approved by the local AHJ. The rest of Dr. Saraf's blog post: Chemical processes and designs are increasingly being evaluated for inherent safety - i.e. reduce the hazard rather than the risk. The philosophy behind inherent safety is ‘What You Don’t Have, Can’t Leak’ and so...

Here is a slide show from Steve Wise, Sr. Mgr. Facilities at TTX Company, titled: " How to Conduct Effective Safety Training " He had posted on our LinkedIn Safety Training group page: http://www.slideshare.net/Steve_Wise/quothow-to-conduct-effective-safety-trainingquot-keynote Topics include: How to get people to buy in and get involved, Safety Communication, Safety and Passion, etc. "How To Conduct Effective Safety Training" - Keynote View more presentations from TTX Company .

A great Safety Video by Carl Potter, Certified Safety Professional, that asks "What is Your Safety Goal?"  If it isn't "No one Gets Hurt", then think again! The difference between Organizational, Team and Individual Safety Goals. He starts out with this quote: "Fate is the hunter that seeks out those who are least prepared" by Earnest K. Gann.  Think about that and how it relates to safety!

Carl Potter, Certified Safety Professional, in this video teaches "How to Think like a Safety Professional" See more of Carl Potter saftey books and videos at: http://www.safetybooks.com/

Great article showing that High Probability of Occurrence of Safety related incidences does indeed lead to the possibility of a High Consequence Event! At Risk behavior leads to near misses, recorded injuries, lost productivity cases, and eventually fatality. Safety Culture Plus | The Accident Pyramid In order to understand the history of incident presentation, you need a good understanding of what it takes to reduce injuries. The accident pyramid model used many years ago as we will discuss will provide some useful information. In 1969, a study of industrial accidents was undertaken by Frank E. Bird, Jr., who was then the Director of Engineering Services for the Insurance Company of North America. He was interested in the accident ratio of 1 major injury to 29 minor injuries to 300 no-injury accidents first discussed in the 1931 book, Industrial Accident Prevention by. H. W. Heinrich. Refer to Figure 1. Read more here...

Interesting blog post by Dr. Saraf on the Risk and Safety Blog. How the perception of risk affects regulation: How Risk Perception Affects Regulations Risk is a perception. Our perception of risks is mainly affected by two factors: (a) whether we are voluntarily accepting the risk . (b) potential consequences of event or act or decision . For a layman, judging a risk is often a function of catastrophic potential. For example, working in a nuclear plant is considered riskier than driving on the road, whereas statistics show that more people are killed every year in automobile crash than in accidents in nuclear plants. The higher the perceived risk by the people the more is the demand to reduce such a risk, and consequently more people want to see stricter regulations to reduce risk. As a result it piques interest from government, regulatory bodies, and policy makers and there is an increased incentive to have a regulatory oversight. Perception of future risks affects...

From our good friends at GreCon, a series of combustible dust related articles titled "Combustible Dust Explosions in the News" Dust Explosion News | GreCon Spark Detection - Extinguishing Systems Combustible dust can be destructive and very dangerous. ... comments on issues related to combustible dust such as hazard recognition, assessment , .... OSHA estimates 30000 U.S. facilities may be at risk for combustible dust incidents. ... www.grecon-us.com/html/ dust _explosions.htm -

From our friends at Workplace Safety, a good primer on combustible dust in the workplace. Things that go boom – combustible dust hazards Performing the combustible dust assessment ... Make sure you are prepared by assessing the risk at your facility and following combustible dust safe ... workplace-safety-nc.com/articles/ combustible - dust .html - Cached

Generic database contains combustion and explosion characteristics of 4081 materials. Links: http://bgia-online.hvbg.de/STAUBEX/explosuche.aspx?lang=e http://biade.itrust.de/biaen/lpext.dll?f=templates&fn=main-h.htm http://bgia-online.hvbg.de/LIMITVALUE/WebForm_gw.aspx

Slogans vs. Actions. "We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.” – Abigail Adams The article below is a good overview of what happens when company mission statements, goals and slogans do not match actions. In the industrial process fire prevention business, many times while touring a plant I see posters with slogans like "Safety First" posted in key locations, only to find real and unrecognized fire and safety hazards, like layers of combustible dust on the ground, on equipment and joists.  As I am walking around and observing, I often think "this looks like an accident waiting to happen" .  This incongruence, or disconnect is wherein the problem with safety lies.  And the safety culture for an organization always starts from the top down.  This is a major focus of combustible dust education. Other times I tour plants that do have a very stringent regard for safety systems and procedures, and the...

A short, concise article by W. Jon Wallace of Workplace Safety Blog, that helps answer the burning question: "Do I have combustible dust in my facility?" What is a Combustible Dust ? Do I have combustible dust in my facility? What is a combustible dust ? Due to recent combustible dust explosions, as well as OSHA's national emphasis ... www.workplace-safety-nc.com/.../what-is-combust-dust.html                                

Our friend John Astad of the Combustible Policy Institute, has new research out: Combustible dust research reveals 100 combustible dust related fires and explosions in 2009 Fine tuning the combustible dust incidents that occurred in the manufacturing, non-manufacturing, and utility sectors in 2009. According to media accounts there were 100 combustible dust related fires and explosions. 17% of these ComDust incidents were dust explosions with the majority of all incidents occurring in national industries (NAICS) not recognized in Appendix D-1 & D-2 of the OSHA Combustible Dust NEP. Amazingly there were no fatalities that occurred as a result of these combustible dust incidents with 23 injuries. Combustible dust research reveals 100 combustible dust related fires and explosions in 2009 Posted 2 months ago by John Astad (GMT -6) , Director/Research Analyst at Comb...

Human Resource Executive Online OSHA's Sharper Teeth Human Resource Executive Online The agency plans to update existing exposure limits and set new rules to protect employees from such dust. * Combustible dust : Such material can cause ... Top Obama OHS bureaucrat calls for tougher penalties in US Canadian Safety Reporter ... criminal penalties for fatal worker injuries, chemical standards, distracted driving, high state and city worker injury rates and combustible dust . OSHA Chief Calls for Criminal Penalties Occupational Health Safety He said pretty much the same thing when asked about the progress of the proposed combustible dust standard, noting the many regulatory steps and surveys ...

From Chemical Info - A Bittersweet Lesson The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) reports that the sugar industry, in particular, has had a long love affair with both combustible dust and lackadaisical housekeeping methods. In fact, this trend dates as far back as 1925. A Bittersweet Lesson | Chem.Info Although Imperial Sugar may not be the lone offender of combustible dust crimes, it is perhaps the most memorable. www.chem.info/Articles/2010/06/Safety-A-Bittersweet-Lesson/ Don’t Sweep Safety Under the Rug An Occupational Safety and Health Administration Fact Sheet titled: Hazard Alert: Combustible Dust Explosions offers specific dust control recommendations to help protect your facility from a similar fate: Implement a hazardous dust inspection, testing, housekeeping and control program. Use proper dust collection systems and filters. Minimize the escape of dust from process equipment or ventilation systems. Use surfaces that minimize dust accumulation and facilitate ...

Shop Fire Safety. Excellent article written by a firefighter - and the head of the emergency response team for a company that specializes in industrial fire protection.  He talks about the sources and risks of combustible dust, the importance of housekeeping, and how to minimize your shop risk.  Read this article. It is just as pertinent to small shops, and even hobbyists, as well as larger industrial manufacturers. Woodworking blog entries tagged with ' combustible dust ... Woodworking blog entries tagged with ' combustible dust '. most recent · most read · most discussed · most favorited · View PocketHole69's profile (online now ... lumberjocks.com/blogs/tag/combustible+dust

The Combustion Analysis Model SAFER Systems' Combustion Analysis Model™ is designed to effectively analyze, and help one manage industrial or transportation-related fire events ...   continue

Managers Charged over Death of Plant Worker A grand jury has indicted a southwest Ohio company and three officials in the 2008 death of a treatment plant worker who authorities say was overcome by toxic gas ...   continue

If you own an "S" Corp., or LLC taxed as an "S" Corp., listen up, big changes are coming... The biggest tax increase on small business in HISTORY-1/1/2011 posted by Roger Herring at The Investor's Accountant Speaks - 12 hours ago Late last month, the House of Representatives passed the American Jobs and Tax Loopholes Closing Act of 2010. It is now in the Senate and will become law by the end of summer. This law contains a major cha... ############ Health care law's massive, hidden tax change  The bill makes two key changes to how 1099s are used. First, it expands their scope by using them to track payments not only for services but also for tangible goods. Plus, it requires that 1099s be issued not just to individuals, but also to corporations. Stealth IRS changes mean millions of new tax forms Courtesy of the health care reform bill, every business in the country is about to undergo a dramatic change in how expenses are reported. Th...

Interesting article for your consideration... Should Mainstream Media Be Held to Different Standards Than Bloggers ? | WebProNews Is it Ok for MSM Not to Credit Blogs? Should mainstream media be held to different standards than bloggers when it comes to crediting sources?...

Press Room - News releases http://www.nfpa.org/newsReleaseDetails.a... June 7, 2010 – For the first time in three years, the number of on-the-job firefighter deaths in the United States has dropped below 100. The National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) annualFirefighter Fatality Report(PDF, 267 KB), released today at the NFPA Conference & Expo, shows a sharp drop...

NFPA Discusses Proposed Changes to Combustible Dust Hazard Standard -- Occupational Health & Safety NFPA Discusses Proposed Changes to Combustible Dust Hazard ... During day two of the NFPA Conference and Expo, Guy Colonna, assistant vice president of fire protection applications for NFPA, discussed proposed changes ... ohsonline.com/.../nfpa-discusses-proposed-changes-to-combus...

Industrial Fire Prevention commercial for South East Fire Prevention. Prevent industrial fires and explosions. Seen in this video: Industrial Fires Industrial Explosions CSB OSHA GreCon Spark Detection Systems Industrial Fire Prevention South East Fire Prevention

Value of Life As safety professionals, we are often required to consider value of life in decision making. So, what is the economic value of a life? According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), it is $5.8 million. Click on the link below to read more… http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/policy/reports/080205.htm

Combustible Dust - 75:32142-32143 OSHA plans to use the information gathered in response to this Web Chat in developing a proposed standard for combustible dust . DATES: The Web Chat will be ... www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?...

Interesting post on iPhone safety applications from our friend Dr. Saraf. Worker Safety? There’s an App for That! posted by Dr. Saraf at Risk and Safety Blog - 23 hours ago I have always been fascinated by Apple products. Apple’s iPhone besides providing the “cool” touchscreen also lets developers create customized applications. Here are a few safety applications you may find...