Malt Silo Explosion in Germany kills 1, injures 7

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/30/europe/EU-Germany-Factory-Explosion.php

Here in the USA we all pray for the families and emergency responders that experienced a tragic event quite similar to the Imperial Sugar Refinery dust explosion at Port Wentworth, Georgia in Feb. 2008. The German news account stated, "There was a first explosion at 07.00 AM causing the fire fighters to rush in, then at 09.00 AM there was in the midst of firefighting activities a second explosion, fatal for one fire fighter, injuring 7 others." Sounds eerily familiar, a more deadly secondary explosion.

Combustible dust related fires and explosions are a constant threat to fire-fighters responding to such events. In many instances the hazards of seemingly harmless combustible particulate solids that generate combustible dust are unknown.

The explosion severity of many combustible dusts are quite similar to flammable vapors, liquids, and gases. Currently many national manufacturing industries in the USA have not acknowledged this fact.

This catastrophic event in GLOBAL MALT GMBH & CO KG, in Germany should be a wake up call for stakeholders in the USA in following similar process safety management (PSM) programs that are required by OSHA at petrochemical refineries where a thorough process hazard analysis is conducted, which identifies, evaluates, and institutes control measures in lessening the occurrence and reducing the severity of future events.

Note: You can easily translate from German to English if add the Google Toolbar to your browser. Click the link for free download

Photo Credit: SWR

Resources:

Brewing Process-
Dave Statter's Blog: STATter 911
German News Article
Aftermath Pictures http://is.gd/9Dd6

Controlled ComDust Explosion: Flash-Bang!

Until the horrific combustible dust explosion at Imperial Sugar Refinery over two months ago, most of the nation had no idea that seemingly harmless coffee creamer and sugar poured into a cup of coffee jump starting us with a morning java jolt could also create another type of jolt, yet devastating . Many of the same food products found on the aisles of the local grocery store have the explosive power of gunpowder when suspended and ignited in a confined space such as a manufacturing facility.

Information gathered from OSHA's National Emphasis Program on combustible dust in conjunction with the Chemical Safety Boards Combustible Dust Study provides a conservative glimpse of over 100,000 firms in the United States that utilize raw combustible particulate solids of wood, rubber, plastic, metals, food, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, which could generate explosive atmospheres. When the manufacturing process begins, combustible dusts are generated. Military and police forces use the same physics of a dust explosion in fuel-air bombs that generate controlled dust explosions.

The United States military has been very successful with fuel-air thermobaric bombs hitting the enemy caves in Afghanistan with the Hellfire missile. Police SWAT teams also have an application for controlled combustible dust explosions with flash-bang grenades that utilize a mixture of aluminum and potassium perchlorate dust. Yes, this is the same dust thats caused many combustible dust explosions and fires in the metal and chemical process manufacturing industries over the past several decades.

Combustible dusts are commonplace occurrence in our daily lives; in the packages on the grocery store aisles, military arsenals, community police tactical equipment, in addition to the manufacturing process. Once an awareness of combustible dust is acknowledged, then the proper mitigative and preventative measure can be instituted. Just don't go hiding in any caves or get the SWAT teams upset, theres no mitigation there.

State Dust Emphasis Programs Voluntary

Get er' Done

Nearly half the nation is unprotected concerning having the proper knowledge concerning the hazards of combustible particulate solids and the resulting combustible dusts. For instance, OSHA instituted a Combustible Dust National Emphasis (NEP) Program in October 2007, which provides health and safety inspectors with the background information needed in conducting facility inspections and informing industry of combustible dust hazards in 28 states. This is all fine and dandy.

Yet in the other 22 states with approved State OSHA programs, federal inspectors are not involved only state inspectors work in this area. Additionally, State plan participation in this national emphasis effort is strongly encouraged but is not required. Strongly encouraged means voluntary, which is the heart of the problem.

For example, North and South Carolina, and Kentucky have no local emphasis program for combustible dusts. Since the Dixie Crystal sugar Refinery explosion there has been two combustible dust related incidents in these states at rubber and textile facilities.



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Map State OSHA Programs

Indiana, Michigan, and Tennessee are in the process of adopting local emphasis programs for combustible dust hazards. Hopefully other states that have their own OSHA program will follow suit. For others that are under the federal National Emphasis Program, it will take additional congressional appropriations so that OSHA can hire additional inspectors to insure the nation's industrial infrastructure is secure.