Preventing combustible dust explosions has been an industry concern
for years. Increasing the stress for
emergency health and safety managers trying to find the correct solution and
maintain that solution for the future as well.
With so many standards, regulations, and codes one can get easily overwhelmed. A recent article in ISHN Magazine by industry experts
Tony Supine and Mike Walters condense the tedious task into a few informative tips.
Reviewing the NFPA 654 standard will give you information on
how to design a safe dust collection system.
It will also guide you to other NFPA standards regarding deflagration
venting, explosion protection where venting is not possible, as well as
standards for specific types of combustible dust and industries. The NFPA has incorporated performance-based
options, since 1995 using calculations in its standards for explosion
protection equipment. Since 2006 the
NFPA has been allowing real world destructive test data to be used in place of
the calculations data, as long as adequate testing has been proven. Although often overlooked, real world data
is permissible and your dust collection supplier may help you with cost savings and from over
engineering, all while not compromising safety.
A hazard analysis is required to determine the level of fire
and explosion protection required.
Testing the dust to determine the KST rating and Pmax by ASTM E 1226-10
standard needs to be established.
Quality is often overruled by a low price. Is the value what it seems? As documented a low-end dust collector will
most likely need replacing after an explosion, where as a high quality gauge
collector often only requires replacing only the explosion vent and filter
cartridges. High quality compliant
equipment is reassurance and an investment in the future. Keeping a clean facility is another key
element in preventing dust explosions.
Hazardous levels of dust accumulation are the most common of all OSHA
violations, often ending with fines. The
NFPA definition of hazardous surface dust is now 1/64 inch or 0.4mm in depth. Staying alert of any changing conditions that can contribute to potential explosive problems should be normal practice.
You can read the full article here From Dust To Death - Six tips to stop dust collector explosions.
