Resources
Articles
- Discussion of NFPA 484A practical consideration of the meaning and application of the National Fire Prevention Association's 484, Standard for Combustible Metals (2009), especially in relation to the use of wet dust collectors.
- What About Efficiency?A discussion of how measuring the filtration efficiency of wet type dust collectors differs from the conventional test methods that apply to dry filter media, and how to determine performance requirements for wet collectors.
- Special Reasons for Wet Dust Collectors Explanation of the types of dust and industrial processes that generate combustible dust and/or potential fire hazards, and how wet dust collectors are best applied to reduce or eliminate the risk of explosions or fires.
Links
- Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program (3-08)
- Safety and Health Information Bulletin: Combustible Dust in Industry (7-05)
- Hazard Communication Guide for Combustible Dusts (2009)
- Standards Related to Combustible Dust
- News Release: Addressing Need for Combustible Dust Standard (10-09)
Instruction from OSHA issued in March 2008 to establish a National Emphasis Program in response to a series of incidents involving dust explosions. The directive contains policies and procedures for inspection of workplaces that handle combustible dust and includes an appendix with a listing of relevant NFPA publications.
OSHA's Directorate of Standards and Guidance issued this bulletin from its Office of Safety Systems in July 2005 to highlight hazards associated with combustible dusts, describe work practices that can reduce the potential of a dust explosion and/or danger of injury to workers, and outline training to protect employees from related hazards.
Addressing a series of dust incidents that occurred between 1980 and 2005, this 2009 OSHA publication provides guidance to manufacturers and importers of chemicals intended to help them recognize the potential for dust explosions and to identify appropriate protective measures as part of their hazard determination under the Hazard Communication Standard.
As part of OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Pages, this web page highlights standards related to combustible dust, including OSHA standards and directives as well as national consensus standards, especially relevant codes and standards developed, published and disseminated by the National Fire Prevention Association.
October 20, 2009: The US Labor Department's OSHA addresses need for combustible dust standard and announces the publication of an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register as an initial step in the development of a standard to address the hazards of combustible dust.