Industrial Fire Prevention

Come see us at the 2014 International Biomass Conference and Expo - Where I will be speaking on: "Practical Prevention of Combustible Dust Fires and Explosions in Biomass Industry"     Track 1: Pellets & Densified Biomass Vital Safety Considerations for Manufacturers, Handlers, and Shippers of Wood Pellets Combustible dust presents a very real safety hazard that must be fully understood and carefully monitored if plant operators intend to keep their staff and their facilities away from an unwanted occurrence. Additionally, as the practice of stockpiling more and more woody biomass becomes routine, an awareness of carbon monoxide offgassing is emerging as a leading safety consideration wherever woody biomass is found in bulk. This panel will provide pellet producers and pellet handlers with the information they need to keep their operation a safe work environment. Moderator: Cam McAlpine , President, PRMedia Strategic Communications Mark Fecke , Man...

From WorkSafeBC.com WorkSafeBC Combustible Dust Initiative Overview Resources Project Summary Report: Combustible Dust Sustained Compliance Initiative Richmond, B.C., March 4, 2014 — On January 31, 2014, WorkSafeBC concluded a three-month inspection of all active sawmills across B.C. The inspections began November 1, 2013. These targeted inspections were in support of the ongoing Combustible Dust Strategy that was initiated in 2012. The objective of these targeted inspections was to evaluate current compliance with combustible dust management requirements, and confirm that every sawmill has an effective and sustainable plan for the management of wood dust. A core team of 10 prevention officers conducted the inspections. In total, 144 locations were inspected. WorkSafeBC officers conducted these inspections to monitor how effectively mills were meeting their combustible dust management requirements. Under the Workers Compensation Act , all employers have th...

From the National Law Review. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Issues Guidance for Inspectors on Combustible Dust | The National Law Review Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Issues Guidance for Inspectors on Combustible Dust Article By: Bradford T. Hammock Henry Chajet Mark Savit Jackson Lewis P.C. OSHA inspectors must consider a manufacturer’s or importer’s use of information gained from actual explosion events, lab testing, published data on similar materials or particle size to assure they have properly classified their products for combustible dust hazards under the revised Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), OSHA said in a recent guidance memorandum. The agency’s HCS was revised to bring it into harmony with a global standard. Since that standard does not contain a classification for combustible dust hazards, OSHA amended the standard's definition ...

From Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires-ATEX blog and our friend John Astad at combustible Dust Policy Institute  Friday, April 12, 2013 Fact Sheet: 2011 Combustible Dust Related Incidents, NFIRS Analysis Fact Sheet: 2011 Combustible Dust Related Incidents, NFIRS Analysis from Combustible Dust Policy Institute A Combustible Dust Policy Institute (CDPI) preliminary analysis of 2011 National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) incident data provided by the National Fire Data Center of the U.S. Fire Administration indicated over 500 combustible dust related incidents in manufacturing facilities where dust was the item first ignited. Near misses include incidents that did not result in any harm to personnel, the facility, process, or product. Analysis did not include the grain sector or coal-fired energy plants. Additionally, the CDPI analysis does not include many incidents that were not reported by fire departments to the National Fire Data Cen...