Industrial Fire Prevention

Metal Dust Ignites Fire at Manufacturing Facility From Harrington Group, Inc.  Metal Dust Ignites Fire at Manufacturing Facility Posted on Thursday, March 28th, 2013  Earlier this month, metal dust ignited and burned inside duct work at a RSA Engineered Products manufacturing facility. RSA designs and manufactures components and assemblies for military and commercial aircraft OE manufacturers, systems integration companies, and several government entities around the world. Their products have been a part of various types of aircraft for over 50 years. The fire in the Simi Valley facility was reported around 10am on March 5 th when employees noticed smoke coming from a vent in the ceiling and called 911. Approximately 70 employees were evacuated from the facility, but no one was injured.  About 40 firefighters, police officers, and hazmat team members reported to the scene. According to fire department officials, the machine sho...

Fire at Wooden Pallet Yard Causes $2.5M in Damages From Harrington Group, Inc. Fire at Wooden Pallet Yard Causes $2.5 Million in Damages  Posted on Friday, June 15th, 2012 In May, a fire ripping through a 10-acre wooden pallet yard and spreading to a nearby tire center, caused an estimated $2.5 million in damages. Nearby residents were evacuated, but thankfully, no one was injured. The fire started at Pallet Market, Inc. in Fontana, California. Pallet Market supplies wooden pallets and pallet related services to various industries, including food, office, and logistics. The business opened 10 years ago will have to close, at least temporarily, until they can figure out what to do next. Pallet Market employed 60 people. Authorities say the yard was full of thousands of dry wooden pallets, stacked hundreds high. Residents said that smoke could be seen for miles.Flames burned 80 feet high and took over five hours to get under control. App...

Spark Detection: Your First Line of Defense for Preventing Combustible Dust Fires and Explosions Our article on Spark Detection as published in Powder/Bulk Solids Spark Detection: First Line of Defense for Preventing Combustible Dust Fires and Explosions According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 654, the Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions (2013 edition), combustible dust is defined as “a finely divided combustible particulate solid that presents a flash fire hazard or explosions hazard when suspended in air or the process-specific oxidizing medium over a range of concentrations.” The dust may be from organic or non-organic matter in any combination, and a dust explosion can have the same impact as a gasoline explosion. The key to avoiding a catastrophic event is to install an effective prevention technology for detecting all sparks and embers in the incipient stage in the process material flow, and extinguishing or div...

Dust Collector Fire and Explosion Highlights Need for Combustible Dust Considerations In System Designs from Baghouse.com Dust Collector Fire and Explosion Highlights Need for Combustible Dust Considerations In System Designs A massive fire and explosion in the dust collection system of a New Hampshire wood pellet manufacturer demonstrates the need for adequate system design to prevent combustible dust explosions in general industry. May 16 2012 – Baghouse.com Editorial | We recently published a news article on Environmental-Expert.com about OSHA’s enforcement actions concerning last year’s combustible dust fire and explosion at the New England Wood Pellet Company’s Jaffrey, New Hampshire wood pellet plant. On October 20 2011, a combustible dust fire began in the wood pellet cooler, most likely caused by a spark or ember from the pellet hammer mill. The fire then spread through the ductwork throughout the plant, eventually reaching the dust collector causing it to ...

Combustible dust explosions cause injuries and deaths in the workplace From EIN News and World News Report Combustible dust explosions cause injuries and deaths in the workplace Under certain conditions, combustible materials and materials that do not normally burn, can explode in dust form, causing serious injuries and wrongful deaths in the workplace.   March 20, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In the past six years, there have been over 50 combustible dust fires or explosions in the nation, causing nearly 170 injuries and more than 30 deaths. One explosion at a sugar refinery killed 14 workers and injured over 40 people. Such explosions and fires also cause extensive damage to industrial buildings and facilities each year. Combustible dust Under certain conditions, combustible materials -- and materials that do not normally burn -- can explode in dust form, causing serious injuries and wrongful deaths . A wide range of materials fall withi...

From Pallet Enterprise - Article - Safety Check: Hazard Communication Regulations Safety Check: Hazard Communication Regulations OSHA requires workers to be trained on new hazardous communication standards. By DeAnna Stephens Baker Date Posted: 4/1/2013                 Pallet companies that have not already begun training employees to understand the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) new hazard communication (HazCom) standard should begin soon.                 HazCom is intended to ensure that anyone working around hazardous chemicals stay informed of potential risks and knows what to do if exposed. Last year, OSHA finalized new HazCom rules that incorporate the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), a harmonized system used in Mexico, Europe, Asia, Australia a...

Excellent article from Tom Andel at Material Handling and Logistics on conveyor fires. Repeat After Me: "Fire is Conveyable" | Chain of Thought Poor housekeeping and shoddy conveyor maintenance can ignite the dust accumulating in your workplace. The safe, efficient flow of product through a facility demands that manufacturers separate conveyable from non-conveyable items. Unfortunately, some companies don’t realize that fire is very conveyable. New England Wood Pellet LLC learned that lesson recently after OSHA discovered that workers at two of the company’s plants were exposed to fire generated by the combination of combustible wood dust and a poorly conceived conveyor system. The fact that a similar fire occurred at one of the company’s other plants told OSHA inspectors this was a problem of poor management practices, consequently the company could be facing a fine as high as $50,000. Their mistake was failing to isolate the conveying systems to prevent ...

Preventing Wood Dust in the Plant From our friend Jamison Scott, of Air Handling Systems Preventing Wood Dust in the Plant By Jamison Scott | 03/06/2013 12:26:00 PM     One of the most important things a woodworking facility can do is engage in housekeeping and fugitive dust control. If underlying surface colors are not readily discernible on your equipment, there could be a dust deflagration hazard. Do not ignore the wood dust. Clean it up, but do not blow it off with an air gun as that simply releases and stratifies the dust — use a vacuum to collect it. Then investigate to determine the source of the dust. For example, if the ductwork is not airtight, seal joints to prevent the release of dust. When inspecting the workplace for dust accumulations, consider all flat surfaces including rectangular-shaped ductwork, overhead beams, lighting fixtures and areas such as hung or suspended ceilings. The National F...

When is it Time to Examine Fire Safety Procedures? From Harrington Group, Inc. When is it Time to Examine Fire Safety Procedures?    Posted on Friday, April 5th, 2013 On December 26, 2012, an explosion at a leading flavor and fragrance company, Givaudan Flavors Corp., shook nearby businesses and scattered debris throughout the plant grounds. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. The explosion occurred in Florence, Kentucky when a silo was being filled by a semi-truck. That silo was heavily damaged and there was minor damage to the silo next to it, however, no other damages to the facility were noted. This is the second time within a year that fire departments have responded to explosion reports at this manufacturing facility. The previous incident occurred in February 2012 when the same silo was being filled. News reports indicated that employees were filling the silo with chemicals when it over-pressurized and ca...

OSHA Fines Plant Rocked By Dust Collection System Fire And Explosion on Environmental Expert OSHA Fines Plant Rocked By Dust Collection System Fire And Explosion OSHA has issued huge fines over a combustible dust fire and explosion the tore through a wood pellet manufacturer’s dust collection system May 14, 2012 | Jaffrey, NH -- OSHA fined the New England Wood Pellet, LLC a total of $147,000 over safety violations after a combustible dust fire and explosion rocked the company’s plant in Jaffrey, NH last week. The fines, which are some of the biggest yet this year, and the accompanying report on the incident that criticizes the company for failing to “effectively minimize and address clearly recognized hazards that could kill or disable workers in a catastrophic incident.” The company for its part has fired back, saying OSHA’s findings are “one-sided and unfairly dismissive of the company's past and ongoing efforts to improve worker safety at...

Spark Detection Saves Lives : Engineering / Design  Forest Product Industry:   Spark Detection and Extinguishing Systems are your first line of defense in preventing fires and explosions in your process, conveying and dust collection systems. For more information on fire and explosion protection find us at www.industrialfireprevention.com For more information on combustible dus t related issues check our blog at www.industrialfireprevention.blogspot.com

More Regulation is the ComDust Cure? From our friend John Astad at Combustible Dust Policy Institute. Legislators, More Regulation is the ComDust Cure Why is it that legislators seem to think that passing more bills and regulations is the cure all? Problem with the combustible dust issue is that no one in Washington D.C. has all the facts and solely utilizing the Chemical Safety Board's Dust Hazard Study provides a false perception of the enormity and complexity of the issues both social and economical. "Their bill would tell OSHA to issue - within 90 days - an interim standard. It would require better housekeeping, engineering controls, worker training and a written combustible-dust safety program." Savannahnow.com - news article For example, the CSB report states there were 281 ComDust incidents from 1980-2005, or an average of eleven incidents annually. In stark contrast, according to media accounts of ComDust related incidents since 200...

Here is the original OSHA Combustible Dust Status Report for your review.  It includes charts and graphs of the types of combustible dust industries and citations involved. Combustible Dust NEP Status Report - October 2009 STATUS REPORT on COMBUSTIBLE DUST NATIONAL EMPHASIS PROGRAM Office of General Industry Enforcement Directorate of Enforcement Programs October 2009 Background Fires and explosions fueled by combustible dusts have long been recognized as a major industrial hazard.  A November 2006, Chemical Safety Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) report described the occurrence of nearly 280 dust fires and explosions in U.S. industrial facilities over the past 25 years, resulting in approximately 119 fatalities and over 700 injuries.   OSHA initiated its Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program (NEP) on October 18, 2007, to inspect facilities that generate or handle combustible dusts that pose a deflagration/explosion or other fir...