"Combustible Dust: An Insidious Hazard"

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently released the above safety video depicting how accumulations of combustible dust at work sites can provide the fuel for devastating explosions that kill and injury workers, shut down plants and harm local economies.

CSB Chairman John Bresland, says, “It is our hope, that company executives, safety managers, and labor groups will take 29 minutes to view this video and ask themselves, ‘Could this happen at our operation?’ And then take action to eliminate dust hazards from their facilities.”

OSHA describes combustible dust as any combustible material (and some materials normally considered noncombustible) that can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. If this dust is suspended in air in the right concentration, it can have very dangerous consequences such as a deadly explosion.

Sources:
www.osha.gov
Walter, Laura. "CSB Releases Combustible Dust Video." EHS Today. 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 Aug. 2009.