Industrial Fire Prevention

Top Ten Business Safety Tips from Gowrie Group's Safety and Loss Prevention Expert - Press Release - Digital Journal (PRWEB) September 30, 2013 Gowrie Group , one of the nation's Top 100 independent insurance agencies, provides timely information on how to best protect businesses and organizations from losses. Our safety team focuses on helping clients decrease their liabilities and exposures to fines, lawsuits, negative press, and employee complaints. Gowrie's Top 10 series offer practical, smart advice to help build safer workplaces and improve OSHA standards. Top Ten Gowrie Group Safety & Loss Prevention Tips: #1 Fire Extinguishers. Fire extinguishers must be easily accessible, with a clearance of 18" on both sides and 36" in front of the extinguisher. OSHA can fine up to $7,000 for a blocked extinguisher. For more, see OSHA #1910.175 #2 Respirators. If you have been issued a respirator, remember that it should be kept in a sealed con...

From Composites Manufacturing Online. OSHA Stalls on Combustible Dust, but NFPA Prepares New Standards | Composites Manufacturing Online OSHA Stalls on Combustible Dust, but NFPA Prepares New Standards September 25, 2013 OSHA’s combustible dust rulemaking has been delayed, while the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is adding a new standard to address hazard identification and control.  These were key messages presented September 20 at a Small Business Administration event attend by ACMA staff. The dust from grinding or cutting even highly filled composite laminates is “combustible” when tested using OSHA’s approved test methods. OSHA has cited several composites manufacturers for failure to comply with the current version of NFPA Standard 654, notably for poor housekeeping and locating cyclones and other dust collection equipment indoors. Under OSHA’s National Emphasis Program for combustible dust, the agency is enforcing NFPA standards while it ...

From Powder Bulk Solids: Explosion Venting/Suppression QandA   Are all dusts potentially explosive? How can I tell if any of the dust we create during the manufacturing of our powdered laundry detergents is unsafe? Is there a listing of consultants or companies that can be hired to evaluate our particular situation? Answered July 9th, 2013 by Expert: Dr. Gerd Mayer 1. No. Some are some aren’t. In order to determine whether a dust is potentially explosive, it must be tested for a variety of parameters, including Kst, Pmax, MIE. Any dust with a Kst value of over 0 is considered potentially explosive.  NFPA Standard 654 requires that dust be tested and that a risk analysis be conducted. 2. The dust must be tested for the factors noted above. 3. There is no particular list per se. There are companies that will do risk analysis, including insurance companies and there are manufacturers’ representat...

 From Powder Bulk Solids: "NFPA 654 requires that a risk analysis be performed to evaluate your risk. And the AHJ for your facility makes the determination, based on the risk analysis, of what level of protection is required per NFPA standards and other facts and circumstances." What is the min Pmax or Kst numbers for explosion venting? @ Ask The Experts Explosion Venting/Suppression Q&A   What is the min Pmax or Kst numbers for explosion venting? Answered July 9th, 2013 by Expert: Dr. Gerd Mayer Anything over 0 Kst  technically requires protection against the potential for a combustible dust explosion, but Kst, Pmax, MIE all have to be looked at. Once your dust is tested, NFPA 654 requires that a risk analysis be performed to evaluate your risk. And the “Authority Having Jurisdiction” for your facility—could be your insurance company, fire marshal, building inspector,...

"Wood dust suspended in the air was confirmed as the fuel source for the two explosions by WorksafeBC, the province’s chief workplace safety agency." "two criteria to determine which areas in the sawmills were at greater risk of an explosive hazard: the accumulation of wood dust at a rate of greater than one eighth of an inch in an eight-hour shift and samples that have more than 40 per cent of particles that were 425 micrometres (just under half a millimetre) or less in size " From The Vancouver Sun: B.C. sawmill study makes surprise finding on using moisture to prevent deadly explosions B.C. sawmill study makes surprise finding on using moisture to prevent deadly explosions   Wet wood dust can explode just like dry wood dust: report By Gordon Hoesktra, Vancouver Sun August 26, 2013   A large fire burns at the Lakeland Mills sawmill in Prince George, B.C., on Tuesday April 24, 2012. An explosion rocked the sawmill, setting...

WEST EXPLOSION: Through the fire  When the volunteer firefighters of West got the call, they knew what they had to do. What they didn't know was that the next 30 minutes would change their brotherhood forever.