Combustible Dust: What Woodworkers Need to Know
From Woodworking network, an excellent article by Jamison Scott with Air Handling Systems on the health and safety issues associated with combustible wood dust. ComDust: What Woodworkers Need to Know By Jamison Scott | 11/28/2012 1:22:00 PM Editor's note: An edited version of this article is in the print and digital editions of December Wood & Wood Products. Below is the article in its entirety. The occurrences and severity of combustible wood dust related fires have been increasing, resulting in an increase in OSHA inspections. Combustible dust is a serious issue. It has become a top health and safety issue in the woodworking industry. While the first reported combustible dust fire occurred in a 1785 at a flour mill in Italy and over two hundred years later in 2008 a major sugar refinery in the state of Georgia exploded due to combustible dust, in 2012, the woodworking industry saw a major sawmill in British Columbia, Canada, launch a fi...