Webinar - Combustible Dusts in Industrial Ventilation Systems - Jan. 27, 2010

the ACGIH^® Industrial Ventilation Committee is hosting this webinar aimed at educating the EH&S community on the importance of preparing for and preventing dust related incidents in industrial ventilation systems.

via acgih.org

Over 60% of combustible dust General Duty Clause citation examples in the recent OSHA status report on Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program were for industrial ventilation issues. Jonathan F. Hale, MS, founder and co-owner of Air System Corporation & Diagnostics and Marty Schloss, PE and General Manager, southeast operations, for KBD/Technic, Inc., a CECO Environmental Company will provide attendees to the webinar with strategies in dust control and ignition control in preventing combustible dust related fires and dust explosions in addition vital information in maintaining current and future regulatory compliance.

This webinar has been approved by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) for .42 ABIH (IH) Certification Maintenance (CM) Point (. This webinar qualifies for .15 BCSP (SP) Continuance of Certification (COC) Point for Certified Safety Professionals. Participants seeking CM and/or COC points must attend the live webinar or view the archive and submit a final exam and evaluation. Certificates of Completion will be issued in a timely manner after receipt and completion of these items.

Who Should Attend this Webinar?

* Industrial Hygienists
* Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals
* Safety Professionals
* Environmental Engineers
* Plant Managers

ACGIH® Members: $292.50 Nonmembers: $325.00
Test and Certificate of Completion Only:*** $25.00 per person

Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Global Requirements

DOWNLOAD Intertek WHITE PAPER:
"Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Requirements"

Complete the registration form with the link below to receive a free copy of Intertek's informative white paper, and learn more about the differences between North American and European rules.

via intertek-etlsemko.com

Excellent Intertek document that explains global classification systems of potentially explosive atmospheres such as flammable atmospheres of gases, mists, liquids, combustible dusts, and fibres. Describes important differences between the Zone (Europe and NEC505) and Division (NEC500) systems in hazardous (classified) locations?

Posted via web from ComDust

Industry Groups Responses to OSHA Rulemaking

National Cotton Council (NCC)-urges OSHA to "use caution" in regulating textile mills concerning combustible dust in factories.

National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) -September 2008, OSHA issued an advisory stating there was no history of combustible dust events at transfer stations, materials recovery facilities (MRFs) or landfills

Georgia Proposed Combustible Dust Regulation

via inscomm.state.ga.us

The Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner will be holding a 10:00 a.m hearing on the 7th Floor, West Tower, Floyd Building, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Atlanta, GA , Monday January 25, 2010 on a proposed combustible dust regulation.

Prior to the upcoming hearing Georgia adopted an emergency regulation last year, "Rules and Regulations for Loss Prevention Due to Combustible Dust Explosions and Fire"

The proposed regulation, solely relying on the national industries (NAICS) listed in the OSHA Combustible Dust NEP is a sure path to disaster. Over 50% of combustible dust incidents in 2008 occurred in national industries (NAICS) not listed in Appendix D-1/D-2 of the OSHA NEP . So what about industries that create combustible dust in specific industry groups that have experienced either frequent combustible dust incidents or combustible dust incidents with catastrophic consequences that the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner failed to acknowledge with a history of incidents?

Additionally, there is no guidelines in the proposed regulation that MSDS's will provide employers and workers with the most current information needed to understand the hazards associated with combustible dusts, as well as appropriate protective measures to be taken.

Information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.) is fine. But it does not include ignition sensitivity such as minimum ignition temperature (MIT) and explosion severity of combustible dusts. Over 80% of incidents are combustible dust related fires. Facility owners/managers are not aware that they need an ignition control program to minimize probability of combustible dust related fires.

The NFPA Fire Analysis and Research Division recently published a report on U.S. Industrial and Manufacturing Property Structure Fires For example, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 10,500 structure fires in industrial and manufacturing properties per year in 2003-2006.

• 29% Structure fires involved shop tools and industrial equipment
• 15% process or manufacturing area -leading area of origin
• 10% Dust, fiber, lint, sawdust, or excelsior-Leading Items First Ignited

How can stakeholders implement layers of protection for combustible dust related fires when there is no knowledge of MIT? It is dismaying that MIT is not mentioned in the physical properties but instead flash point is.

Another weak link in the proposed regulation is no mention that contractors also need training, same as employees, on the fire and explosion hazards of combustible dust. Many combustible dust related fires over the past two years have occurred due to contractors providing the ignition source while conducting hot work.

Hopefully some of these important issues will be brought up amongst the business, labor, and government stakeholders at the Monday morning meeting.

Posted via web from ComDust

OSHA Combustible Dust Stakeholder Meeting in Atlanta Feb 17

Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Stakeholder Meetings on Combustible Dust

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
9:00am - Noon and 1:30pm - 4:30pm

Marriott Perimeter Center

via www2.ergweb.com

Register now as a participant or observer for the OSHA Combustible Dust Rulemaking Stakeholder Meeting to be held in Atlanta, Georgia . Federal Register Notice January 25, 2010

Posted via web from ComDust

Few inspections made before LNG plant fire:

Investigators also determined that the shop was constructed under building and fire codes that don't allow for work on hazardous materials such as natural gas.

That kind of work falls under an occupancy rating that generally requires encased lighting fixtures and gas monitoring equipment that could have prevented the fire,

via news.tradingcharts.com

Ignition after natural gas contacting an arcing fluorescent light. Electrical fixtures in the destroyed maintenance shop not rated for Hazardous (Classified) Locations (29 CFR 1910.307). State Fire Marshal made an informal tour in May 2008 and didn't observe HazLoc weakness nor at an earlier inspection in the 1990's. Say What?

This story sounds so familiar of state fire marshal's not recognizing combustible dust fire and explosion hazards (explosive atmospheres) as mentioned in the 2006 Chemical Safety Board's Dust Hazard Investigation.

Posted via web from ComDust