Training Combustible Dust Webinar

Good news! The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and OSHA are presenting a FREE webinar on Combustible Dust on May 14, 2008 10:00-11:00 AM

To register, send your email address to rita.mosley@illinois.gov,.

OSHA Assistant Regional Administrator Mr. John Newquist, of Region 5 will be conducting the one hour training session. Participants can either participate in the seminar on their computer or visit the training site in person at the EiigerLab on 605 Fulton Avenue in Rockford, Illinois.

ATEX: ATmosphères EXplosibles

It's odd that our major global trading partners have instituted proactive controls in the protection of the workplace and personnel from the hazards of combustible dust incidents. Yet here in the United States under the direction of the current OSHA management there is a wait and see attitude with the idea that additional studies must be completed before further OSHA standards can be instituted concerning the hazards of combustible dust.

With innovative leadership, OSHA could instead develop a program similar to the ATEX standards that have been implemented since 2003 in Europe. Here is an excellent resource that will provide industry with guidance in developing a proactive combustible dust preventive and mitigative program. Browse the articles provided by Epsilon:

Web Based Articles

Combustible Dust Training-May 5-8

Now that the word is getting out concerning the explosive atmospheres that are generated by combustible dusts in the workplace. It's time to obtain some training from professionals who work daily in the industry providing protection for all process industries.

The Process Technology for Industry International Expo (PTXi ) in Rosemont, Illinois on May 5-8 is the place to go. Also referred to as the International Powder & Bulk Solids show. The extravaganza has been joined by Pharma Process, Chem Process, and the Process Pack shows. So there will be plenty of venues to participate in across a wide spectrum of industry. Heres a quote from the website concerning the educational sessions:

The 2008 Process Technology Expo International Conference will provide leading educational sessions structured with extensive input from process industry experts to provide practical high-value information attendees can immediately apply to their job responsibilities.

Topics covered on combustible dusts at the PTXi conference daily educational sessions:

• Understanding and Controlling Dust Explosion Hazards

• Electrostatic Hazards Associated with Liquid and Powder Processing

• Risk Analysis for Dust Explosion Hazards

• Preventing Dust Explosions in Dust Collection Systems

• Guidelines on Compliance with New Federal Directive Relating to Explosion Prevention & Protection for Facilities Handling Combustible Dusts

• Flame Arresting Devices for Dust Explosions

• Raising the Bar: Dust Control Systems which Pay for Themselves with Verifiable Gains in Process Stability, Yield, Uptime, Environmental Safety & Operator Satisfaction

• Dust Control System Troubleshooting

Thats 15 hours of intensive training spread out over three full days,with some time in between the morning and afternoon sessions to view the exhibits in the Donald Stevens Convention Center. This training sessions will get you to speed so you don't end up on the Google Map of the next preventable and predictable combustible dust explosion or fire.

Conference registration includes:

• Lunch on registered day(s)
• A set of PTXi proceedings for registered day(s)
• Canvas tote bag
• Coffee and refreshments during the session breaks
• Complimentary admission to the expo

Conference Fees
	20% discount rates (Exhibitor, Govt, Student)	Early bird discounted rates	Standard on site rates (after April 11)
1 day	$315	$395	$495
Full Conference	$635	$795	$895

Link to PTXi Conference

ComDust Hazardous Communication

Since OSHA has failed to proactively address hazardous communication of combustible dust hazards, the Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Blog will be providing pertinent information to interested stakeholders who wish to prevent and mitigate future incidents.

Todays post at the Combustible Dust Policy Institute will begin with signage that is used in the European ATEX 137 Combustible Dust Program, which is part of the explosion protection document.

SIGNS

The directive requires that all areas classified as hazardous be identified with a warning sign. The sign must be triangular, black on yellow with the text Ex. The signs must be displayed at points of entry into explosive atmospheres

The Combustible Dust Policy Institute (CDPI) is especially concerned regarding firefighters who respond to fires not knowing that the facility utilizes non-hazardous combustible particulate solids that generate explosive atmospheres of seemingly harmless combustible dust. Of major concern is a primary and secondary combustible dust explosions occuring while the firefighters are inside the building.

November 14, 2005 -And in Iowa, two firefighters are recovering today after two explosions at a Pella (Iowa) company. The Pella fire chief says a dust explosion ignited a fire inside the American Wood Fibers plant early Sunday afternoon.

As firefighters tried to put out the fire, another explosion took place. Two firefighters suffered hand injuries as concrete and metal flew through the air. One firefighter was treated and released from a hospital. The other had to be airlifted to a Des Moines hospital. His condition has not been released.

This isn't the first time there's been trouble at American Wood Fibers. Back in December of 2002, an explosion and fire consumed the plant. Police believe wood dust caused that explosion.

Placement of the signs at all entry points will provide the necessary initial hazardous communication to everyone in the vicinity of a potentially explosive atmosphere during normal operating hours in addition to fire emergencies. Yesterday an event in Hamilton, Ontario Canada where firefighters responded to a factory blaze that contained rat poisons, which they had no knowledge of while fighting the fire. If warning signs like to NFPA 704 signs were located on the outside of the building maybe proper warning would of been communicated and fire crews could assess the hazards accordingly

NPFA 704 signage at building entry points is just one example to illustrate the importance in communicating the hazard in a real scenario. Explosive atmosphere signage would work in the same manner as it currently is required in the European Union. Our brave and dedicated firefighters require the same amount of transparency upon arriving on the scene of a facility fire.

Firefighters injured in dust dxplosion

Sparks Fly Combustible Dust Bill

Already even prior to the approved mark-up of the combustible dust bill that passed the House Committee Education and Labor there has been a flurry of high level letters sent to bill's co-sponsors Congressmen George Miller(D-CA) and John Barrow (D-GA). For instance, the Chamber of Commerce and Edwin Foulke, Director of OSHA both oppose the bill in it's current form and and state bluntly in the content of their recent letters . The Department of Labor has even gone to the trouble in taking sides politically through it's recent public statement today after the bill markup success with this statement:

“H.R. 5522 would mandate a one-size-fits all standard for as many as 200,000 worksites throughout the country. Supporters of H.R. 5522 mistakenly believe there are no combustible dust workplace protections, when there are 17 existing OSHA standards. OSHA is currently inspecting facilities with the highest danger of combustible dust. If OSHA determines through these inspections that the standards are not effective in protecting employees, the agency will not hesitate to initiate a rulemaking. ”

It's still a bit of a shock to believe that OSHA's 17 existing standards are working, especially since there has been 30 combustible dust related explosions and fires in the last eight weeks since the Imperial Sugar explosion. How is it that the supporters of H.R. 5522 mistakenly believe that there are no combustible dust workplace protections when dust explosions and fire are occurring every other day?

In a bold move the Chamber of Commerce believes the provisions of the final standard would
be set by legislators rather than the safety and regulatory professionals at OSHA. Thats a far stretch, since over the last five years after the horrific loss of life in numerous combustible dust explosions in 2003, the professionals in management at OSHA stood by idly.

Safety professionals, industry experts, and even representatives from the Department of Labor were part of the committees that drafted the numerous NFPA combustible dust codes that would be instituted in the proposed combustible dust bill

James E. Maness, JEM Safety Consulting, MO [U] Rep. Grain Elevator and Processing Society

Guillermo A. Navas, Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors National Association,

Harry Verakis, U.S. Department of Labor,

David L. Oberholtzer,] Rep. The Aluminum Association

Keith Epperson, American Feed Industry Association,IA [U]

James E. Maness, JEM Safety Consulting, DE [U]Rep. Grain Elevator and Processing Society

Robert J. Moore, Tate & Lyle America, IL [U]Rep. Corn Refiners Association Inc.

Ira C. “Bud” Nation, Archer Daniels Midland Company,IL [U] Rep. National Oilseed Processors Association

Jerry S. Wodzinski, Underwriters Laboratories Inc., IL [RT]

In addition to trade association as members of the NFPA committees, Fortune 500 Companies were also part of drafting the protective combustible dust NFPA fire codes.

David G. Clark, E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company

J. Anthony Yount, ConAgra Food Ingredients,

James L. Roberts, Fluor Enterprises, Inc., SC [SE]

Richard F. Schwab, Honeywell, Inc., NJ [U]

Allan J. Johnson, Cargill, Inc., MN [U]

Michael J. Shimer, The Boeing Company, WA [U]

William E. Janz, Swiss Re, Global Asset Protection

Employers will not become more knowledgeable about the hazard solely by the issuance of a Safety and Health Information Bulletin, and the recent re-issuance of the National Emphasis Program. Combustible dust explosions and fires are very complex and the current OSHA reactive voluntary program does not provide the proactive program that is needed.

Instead a National Dust Explosion Research Institute (NDRI) needs to be developed in conjunction with cooperation between academia, trade associations, safety professionals, and regulatory agencies. This is where the leadership at OSHA needs to be heading , instead of butting of heads between labor and industry.

A trip to Norway and Germany would be in order in collaborating with their excellent dust explosion research institutes. In the end this would also provide more jobs in the technical fields. Since we are delving into a technical subject that enters the realm of powder mechanics and computational fluid dynamics. From there industry will absorb the required knowledge of this complex subject.

It is true that the bill would require within 18 months OSHA promulgate a final standard that would carry forward all of the requirements of the interim final rule (IFR). That would be a difficult for many facilities and a compromise needs to be addressed. One answer would be looking into the ATEX Combustible Dust Programs that our global trading and security partners are already using in the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The foundation of the overseas program is an explosion protection document that facilities adhere to. This program institutes a 3-5 year phase in , which we could do the same after the IFR.

Additionally, in regards to testing the ignition sensitvity and explosion severity of combustible dusts, cooperative programs could be implemented between trade associations spread across a wide spectrum of industries. This would cut costs tremendously with the costly analytical laboratory testing from thousands of facilities spread across the nation.

This will be a long haul just like the six years it has taken to complete the finishing touches of Homeland Security after the 2002 Homeland Security Act. But it can be done with cooperation between all stakeholders and the proper leadership at OSHA.

Dust Bill Opposition Letters

Free Viewing Online Access to NFPA 654: Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, 2006 Edition

H.R. 5522,Combustible Dust Bill Moves to House Floor

This morning at the mark-up of "H.R. 5522, Combustible Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention Act of 2008", the Full Committee of the House Education and Labor voted and agreed that this important bill should move forward onto the House floor. Over the past eight weeks, since the catastrophic Imperial Sugar Refinery explosion there has been 31 combustible dust related explosions and fires, which included six dust explosions in March. In April alone, there's been five combustible dust fires at flooring, paper, dental, and food manufacturing facilities. Luckily no fatalities or injuries in these April incidents. Luck only goes so far at the roulette wheel..