Unsafe conditions are usually easy to recognize, but combustible dust is insidious. It is around us and we don't recognize that our safety is jeopardized. We are secure in our safety because it is always there, then disaster strikes without warning. It could have ignited in a baghouse, storage bin, bucket elevator or inside ductwork. The first ignition is small but it is shaken loose from it's perch and becomes as lethel as propane. In a moment or 2, it's all over except for picking up the pieces of broken lives, shattered dreams, damaged property and equipment and the jobs that will never be salvaged.

We can help to prevent this. We work closely with the engineers at Fenwal to provide systems that will prevent catastrophe from ever coming to your plant.

http://www.fenwalprotection.com   

http://www.csb.gov/videoroom/detail.aspx?VID=30
this video from the Chemical Safety Board is very revealing.



Chemical suppression is a reliable and efficient method for protecting equipment, facilities and workers. It can be used to protect and isolate processes and allow air to be returned to the building from a dust filtration system for recirculation purposes on systems that would not otherwise be able to.

 CombustibleDust
Does your company or firm process any of these products ormaterials in powdered form? If your company or firmprocesses any of these products or materials, there is potential for a “Combustible Dust” explosion.

Agricultural Products
Egg white        Milk, powdered    Milk, nonfat, dry  Soy flour,   Starch, corn , Starch, rice   Starch, wheat   Sugar   Sugar, beet   Tapioca   Whey    Wood flour

Agricultural Dusts
Alfalfa   Apple    Beet root  Carrageen  Carrot   Cocoa bean dust   Cocoa powder  Coconut shell dust   Coffee dust   Corn meal   Cornstarch   Cotton   Cottonseed   Garlic powder
Gluten   Grass dust   Green coffee   Hops (malted)   Lemon peel dust   Lemon pulp   Linseed   Locust bean gum   Malt   Oat flour   Oat grain dust   Olive pellets   Onion powder
Parsley (dehydrated)   Peach   Peanut meal and skins   Peat   Potato   Potato flour   Potato starch   Raw yucca seed dust   Rice dust   Rice flour   Rice starch   Rye flour   Semolina
Soybean dust   Spice dust   Spice powder   Sugar (10x)   Sunflower   Sunflower seed dust   Tea   Tobacco blend   Tomato   Walnut dust   Wheat flour   Wheat grain dust   Wheat starch
Xanthan gum

Carbonaceous Dusts
Charcoal, activated   Charcoal, wood   Coal, bituminous   Coke, petroleum   Lampblack   Lignite   Peat, 22%H20   Soot, pine   Cellulose   Cellulose pulp   Cork   Corn  

Chemical Dusts
Adipic acid   Anthraquinone   Ascorbic acid   Calcium acetate   Calcium stearate   Carboxy-methylcellulose   Dextrin   Lactose  Lead stearate   Methyl-cellulose   Paraformaldehyde
Sodium ascorbate   Sodium stearate   Sulfur  

Metal Dusts  
Aluminum   Bronze   Iron carbonyl   Magnesium   Zinc  

Plastic Dusts
(poly) Acrylamide   (poly) Acrylonitrile   (poly) Ethylene   (low-pressure process)   Epoxy resin   Melamine resin   Melamine, molded   (phenol-cellulose)   Melamine, molded
(wood flour and mineral filled phenolformaldehyde)    (poly) Methyl acrylate   (poly) Methyl acrylate,   emulsion polymer   Phenolic resin   (poly) Propylene  
Terpene-phenol resin   Urea-formaldehyde/   cellulose, molded   (poly) Vinyl acetate/   ethylene copolymer   (poly) Vinyl alcohol   (poly) Vinyl butyral   (poly) Vinyl chloride/
ethylene/vinyl   acetylene suspension   copolymer   (poly) Vinyl chloride/   vinyl acetylene   emulsion   copolymer

Dust Control Measures
The dust-containing systems (ducts and dust collectors) are designed in a manner (i.e., no leaking) that fugitive dusts are not allowed to accumulate in the work area. The facility has a housekeeping program with regular cleaning frequencies established for floors and horizontal surfaces, such as ducts, pipes, hoods, ledges, and beams, to minimize dust accumulations
within operating areas of the facility. The working surfaces are designed in a manner to minimize dust accumulation and facilitate cleaning.

Ignition Control Measures
Electrically-powered cleaning devices such as vacuum cleaners, and electrical equipment are approved for the hazard classification for Class II locations.

The facility has an ignition control program, such as grounding and bonding and other methods, for dissipating any electrostatic charge that could be generated while transporting the dust through the ductwork. The facility has a HotWork permit program. Areas where smoking is prohibited are posted with “No Smoking” signs. Duct systems, dust collectors, and dust-producing machinery are bonded and grounded tominimize accumulation of static electrical charge.

The facility selects and uses industrial trucks that are approved for the combustible dust locations.

Prevention Measures
The facility has separator devices to remove foreign materials capable of igniting combustible dusts. MSDSs for the chemicals which could become combustible dust under normal operations are available to employees. Employees are trained on the explosion hazards of combustible dusts.

Protection Measures
The facility has an emergency action plan. Dust collectors are not located inside of buildings. (Some exceptions) Rooms, buildings, or other enclosures (dust collectors) have explosion
relief venting distributed over the exterior wall of buildings and enclosures. Explosion venting is directed to a safe location away from employees. The facility has isolation devices to prevent deflagration propagation between pieces of equipment connected by ductwork. The dust collector systems have spark detection and explosion/ deflagration suppression systems.
Emergency exit routes are maintained properly. See NFPA 654 for additional information use this link to access NFPA codes.
  http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/list_of_codes_and_standards.asp?cookie_test=1