Industrial Fire Prevention

From Woodworking Network Resolute fined after worker burned in dust explosion on wood biomass boiler By Karl D. Forth February 04, 2016 | 4:07 pm EST Photo by HGC Engineering, www.acoustical-consultants.com FORT FRANCES, Ontario - Lumber firm Resolute Forest Products Canada Inc., owner of an idled paper mill, pleaded guilty and has been fined $150,000 after a worker was burned following an explosion of wood dust. The Ontario Ministry of Labour says the paper mill was idled in 2014 but its bio mass boiler was still in operation to provide heat for the mill through the winter. It was expected that the boiler would be idled after the winter when heating was no longer required. The boiler was capable of running on either natural gas or bio mass. In 2008 an engineering assessment of the conveyor system for the boiler concluded that the system did not present a dust explosion hazard, owing to the particle size and moisture content of the fuel being used as b...

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...

This story is an example of a process that manufactures "fuel", a wood pellet operation, and how critical it is to provide hazard analysis and the right engineering and administrative controls to help prevent fires and explosions. The proper safety systems can help protect processes that produce combustible dust from loss of production, injury, life safety, business continuity, OSHA fines, reputation in the industry and community, as well as the mental and emotional well being of employees. The video below shows smoke from the storage silo, and the fire chief describes how an ember was allegedly created in a pelletizer, and was conveyed to the pellet cooler, where fire traveled from the cooler to the dust collector, and silo.  This is a common fire and explosion scenario in the pellet manufacturing process. From Woodworking network.   Wood Pellet Maker Settles OSHA ComDust Complaint By Rich Christianson | 11/29/2012 2:25:00 PM ...

This is a real possibility. With willful safety violations, not only do you risk losing production, business continuity, life safety, reputation, insurance coverage, but also possible jail time. Fines, Possible Jail Time in BC ComDust Explosions  By Karen M. Koenig | 12/04/2012 1:39:00 PM   VANCOUVER - Babine Forest Products and Lakeland Mills could each face fines of up to $652,000 if found guilty of violating the Workers Compensation Act. Combustible dust explosions racked the two British Columbia sawmills earlier this year, killing four and injuring 52 others. Although unlikely, up to six months jail time is also possible, news sources report. Late last week, the Canadian provincial WorkSafeBC agency referred to national government legal agencies its investigation work in the Jan. 19 Babine Forest Products in Burns Lake and April 23 Lakeland Mills in Prince George. In each case, combustible dust and dust accumulation were found ...

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 agreem...

Pellet plant facing OSHA fine on fire  From- SentinelSource.com "According to the inspection report stemming from October’s fire, the flames in that blaze led to a series of explosions in the plant. “The fire, which started in the pellet mill, was transported through several conveying systems to a pellet cooler and then to a dust collector, and caused several other flash fires,” an OSHA news release said. “Shortly thereafter, explosions occurred in the dust collector and an exhaust muffler. “The explosions sent fireballs outside of the building and likely ignited materials in two silos.” Without the required protective devices in the pellet transport system, dust collection duct and conveyor systems, sparks and embers are able spread throughout the system, officials said." Lessons Learned:  Pellet mills create fuel. Fires and Explosions migrate through processes.   Damage limiting construction, inherently safer design, and proper engineering and adm...

From the Woodworking Network blog, a good article on OSHA press releases in which wood products firms have been cited for serious, repeat and/or willful safety and health violations. What is your corporate safety culture like? Only serious "continuous significant improvement", and benchmarking best engineering practices to your health and safety program will prevent these type OSHA violations and citations.  Ignorance and negligence of current NFPA Standards for combustible dust, dust collection and other safety practices is what causes OSHA to have to police your business. Like Rich in this article, I shake my head every time I read one of these stories or press releases, and it is almost a daily occurrence.  The shame is that many of the events in these stories could have been prevented! My business is in the field of combustible dust, and helping protect process conveying systems, and dust collection systems from fires and explosions. My primary focus is in preven...

A good article from our friends at Wood & Wood Products magazine on the continuing and stepped up OSHA Combustible Dust hazard inspections, and what it means for your plant. Repeat violations are being levied with large fines. For wood dust, the most cost effective protection is a listed Spark Detection & Extinguishing System to prevent fires and explosions in the incipient stage. With the addition of sprinkler and deluge systems, explosion vents, and an abort gate on any return air systems, you will typically be well covered. OSHA continues crackdown on combustible dust hazards By Rich Christianson - Would your plant pass muster if Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors knocked on your door unannounced looking for potential combustible dust hazards? Read more...

SafetyNewsAlert.com » Blog Archive » Company faces huge fine ... By Fred Hosier lack of employee training; exposure to electric shocks; lack of fall protection; lack of machine guards; exposure to noise hazards; struck-by dangers, and; accumulation of combustible dust . Sims also faces other-than-serious citations ... SafetyNewsAlert.com - http://www.safetynewsalert.com/