Industrial Fire Prevention

From our friends at: Donaldson Overview Help Prevent and Protect Against Combustible Dust In manufacturing facilities that generate or handle dust, it’s an important responsibility to manage combustion risks. When a combustible dust encounters an ignition source, there is the potential for a fire or explosion. It’s essential to have a comprehensive plan to manage and mitigate that potential risk. Many operations are subject to the requirements of NFPA Standard 652: Fundamentals of Combustible Dust, which has a dust hazard analysis (DHA) requirement due by September 7, 2020. A well-designed, maintained, and operated dust collection system is an integral part of your effort to comply with this and other standards and regulations. Donaldson can assist you in developing a strategy for the specific needs of your facility.   Strategy Here are some basic steps to get started on a mitigation plan: 1. Know your standards and codes.  Research the local, state, and federal mand...

From our friends at: Donaldson Facebook Twitter n Email Food and agricultural processors have led the manufacturing industry in combustible dust risk mitigation. Now that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has published new editions of its standards on the risks of combustible dust, it’s a good time to review, and possibly revise your mitigation strategies. Regulatory Background Although NFPA standards are not part of federal law, they are considered industry best practices. Many municipalities adopt them in their code and OSHA inspectors sometimes reference them under the General Duty clause when citing unsafe work conditions. In food and agricultural processing, the most relevant standard is  NFPA 61, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Dust Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Facilities . The latest edition of NFPA 61 requires that any existing food or agricultural processing facility with combustible or explosible dust must complete a dust hazard an...

From: FM Global  Minimize property loss from the coronavirus crisis APRIL 10, 2020   | FEATURE ARTICLE The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has forced unprecedented sudden facility closings—or severely impaired abilities to produce or provide services—around the world. To help, FM Global is offering a checklist of actions you can take depending on your current situation. Actions address: Site security Emergency response Fire protection equipment Ignitable liquid Ignition sources Extreme weather Manufacturing operations  And more Review the  Pandemic Property Loss Prevention Checklist  and take the steps you can now.

From: FM Global Finding it is Job #1 NOVEMBER 11, 2021   | FEATURE ARTICLE "When it comes to the freeze hazard, it's the stuff that we can't see that's often of most concern," says Katherine Klosowski, vice president and manager of natural hazards and structures at FM Global. The pipe behind the wall without adequate insulation. The sprinkler riser in the parking garage that stands unprotected where the water and air meet. Under winter conditions, these can become major freeze losses. This winter brings added challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic. First, many locations are operating with open windows to increase fresh air flow into buildings. Second, some locations have cut back on operations and the normal heat generated from production equipment is not there.  “These conditions can increase the risk of a frozen sprinkler pipe or domestic water line, especially those near a window, vent opening, skylight, or in a cold stairwell,” explains Klosowski. “Water expan...

From: Chemical Engineering Online    MITIGATE DUST HAZARDS WITH GOOD EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEM DESIGN By Chuck Kerwin and Gus Carrington, AZO Inc. |  November 1, 2020 By carefully considering equipment and plant design in processes involving powdered materials, fugitive dust issues can be reduced significantly. Powdered ingredients that unintentionally leak from equipment in a manufacturing plant are known as fugitive dust. The risks associated with fugitive dust are very real.  The three major risk factors are: 1) combustion risk  2) operator exposure (inhalation and contact) risk and  3) product hygiene risk.  It is difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate all dust from a manufacturing plant, but controlling fugitive dust starts with equipment design. Minimizing dust in and around bulk-material-handling systems is most effective when less dust is allowed to escape from your material-handling system.  This article provides information on design stra...

From: Stone House Safety Flour Packaging Explosion: The Normalization of Risk  24 SEPTEMBER Flour Packaging Explosion: The Normalization of Risk In this article, we would like to discuss the concept of  ‘normalization of risk’  and then go on to illustrate the concept by looking at a real combustible dust explosion story from Europe:   Normalization of risk: The gradual process through which risky/dangerous practices or conditions become acceptable over time Getting used to risky situations because we see them every day Unwittingly accepting unsafe situations because they have not caused an incident before; there has been a lack of “bad outcomes” Accepting some level of risk is a something that we all do; it’s normal! If we did not accept some risk, we would never drive a car, fly on a plane, or even buy a restaurant meal. But what we have to guard against is  over-normalization  of risk where consequences of ‘failure’ are big. A combustible dust explo...

From our friends at SonicAire: Four Ways to Manage Combustible Dust in Your Facility Whether you’re in woodworking, plastics, or another manufacturing/processing industry, combustible dust is almost a given. Today’s compliance standards require you to do something about it as well. If you let combustible dust buildup in hard-to-reach spaces, you’d better hope an OSHA inspector doesn’t show up. NFPA 652 and other industry-specific standards make it clear that it’s your responsibility to stay in compliance. Otherwise, fines will be coming your way. Standards do provide leniency in how you mitigate fugitive dust buildup in overhead and hard-to-reach spaces. The ideal solution for you may not make sense for someone else. Ultimately, you have to review the costs and risks associated and make the best decision possible. Here are four common ways facilities manage combustible dust: 1 – Capture Dust at the Source Depending upon your process an...

From our Friends at: Safety and Health Magazine December 20, 2020   Mike Snyder   Editor’s Note: Achieving and sustaining an injury-free workplace demands strong leadership. In this monthly column, experts from global consulting firm DEKRA Organizational Safety and Reliability share their point of view on what leaders need to know to guide their organizations to safety excellence. It’s easy to think a catastrophic fire or explosion is an anomaly rather than a sign that a deeper problem exists within an organization’s safety systems and culture. By their nature, catastrophic events are rare. This makes it easy for leaders to lose their sense of vulnerability. It takes a different kind of organization to develop leaders who, instead of asking, “Can it happen here?” ask, “ How  can it happen here?” Catastrophic occupational and process safety incidents usually occur after early warning signals are overlooked. Some organizations have been very successful in avoiding catastrop...