Industrial Fire Prevention

NFPA :: Research :: Statistical reports :: Occupancies :: Fires in U.S. Industrial and Manufacturing Facilities Fires in U.S. Industrial and Manufacturing Facilities         Report:  NFPA's "Fires in U.S. Industrial and Manufacturing Facilities" Author:   Ben Evarts Issued:  April 2012  An overview of industrial and manufacturing property fires, including trend tables, causes, time of day, day of week, month of year, and area of origin.  Abstract During 2006-2010, an estimated 42,800 fires in or at industrial or manufacturing properties (including utility, defense, agriculture, and mining) were reported to U.S. fire departments per year, with associated annual losses of 22 civilian deaths, 300 civilian injuries, and $951 million in direct property damage.   Seventy percent of these fires occurred outside or in unclassified locations, 20% occurred in structures and 9% in vehicles.   Two-thirds (66%) of the combined industrial or manufacturing facilit

New England Wood Pellet agrees to correct explosion and fire hazards at New Hampshire facility following US Labor Department actions OSHA Regional News Release U.S. Department of Labor Office of Public Affairs Region 1 Region 1 News Release: 12-2265-BOS/BOS 2012-314 Nov. 28, 2012 Contact: Ted Fitzgerald    Andre J. Bowser Phone: 617-565-2075    617-565-2074 Email: fitzgerald.edmund@dol.gov      bowser.andre.j@dol.gov New England Wood Pellet agrees to correct explosion and fire hazards at New Hampshire facility following US Labor Department actions Jaffrey wood pellet manufacturer also will hire independent expert, pay $100,000 OSHA fine BOSTON – After enforcement actions taken in relation to a series of explosions and fires at its Jaffrey, N.H., manufacturing plant, New England Wood Pellet LLC will take systemic and substantive steps to prevent any further recurrences as part of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational S

A Detailed Look Into OSHA under U.S Presidents | Compliance and Safety Blog From Comliance and Safety B log an article on OSHA Fines unner each of the last presidents. A Detailed Look Into OSHA under U.S Presidents November 24, 2012 Democrats and Republicans could not be more different in their fundamental views of government spending and regulation but are these views reflected in their administration of OSHA? OSHA Fines Under U.S Presidents Increasing maximum OSHA fines requires action from Congress which has been repeatedly blocked under the current Republican congress. However, that hasn’t stopped OSHA from finding other ways to increase fines under the leadership of Obama-appointed David Michaels, such as increasing minimum mandatory fines and increasing the window whereby an employer can be clasisfied as a ‘repeat offender.’  These changes have resulted in record years for OSHA fines , as evident in the charts below. OSH

Combustible Dust Winter Alert - Increased Risk From WoodworkingNetwork.com: The risk of a dust explosion increases when low humidity levels, like those seen in winter months, make dust easy to disperse and ignite. In fact, industrial accident investigations by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board found that seven out of eight fatal combustible dust explosions from 1995 to 2009 occurred during cold winter months when these weather conditions were most prominent. One of the two tragic sawmill incidents in British Columbia occurred in the middle of winter, the second occurred in early spring. A number of changes can commonly occur in wood processing facilities as the weather becomes colder.       * Control measures and clean up practices that rely on the use of water may not be suitable or effective      * Openings such as bay doors and wall dampers may be closed up increasing the degree of enclosure and reducing natural ventilation or make up air      * Ventilation may