Bulwark Training

Combustible Dust:

Understanding the Basics

Background

• Involved with the Flame Resistant Clothing market from

the service, manufacturing and garment sides for over

15 years.

• Over the past 6 years worked closely with fortune 1000

companies as they look develop PPE programs within

their Electrical Safe Work Practices to comply with

NFPA70E/NESC and also Flash Fire programs for NFPA

2113.

• Developed and conducted over 150 educational and

informational seminars on the Hazards of Arc Flash and

Flash Fire for NSC, ASSE, VPPPA, NJATC, NECA,

CAER and numerous other associations.

Topics for Today

Why is everyone talking about combustible dust?

What makes combustible dust hazardous?

What regulations govern combustible dust?

What’s the bottom line?

OSHA General Duty Clause

• Employer’s responsibility / Choosing FR

“Each employer shall furnish to each of his

employees employment and a place of

employment which are free from recognized

hazards that are causing or are likely to

cause death or serious physical harm.”

Enforcement Strategies

•Increase presence in the workplace

•Strengthen enforcement

•Protect vulnerable workers in high-hazard occupations

•Overhaul penalties

•Strengthen regulations

Goal = Make workplaces safe and healthy

Why is everyone talking about

combustible dust?

What is a combustible dust?

• A combustible particulate solid that presents a fire or

deflagration hazard when suspended in air or some

oxidizing medium over a range of concentrations,

regardless of particle size or shape.

As defined in NFPA 654, 2006 Edition

Known Injuries & Deaths Over Time

Recent History

• Nearly 300 explosions have injured or killed over 800 workers since 1980.

• OSHA has cited over 1,000 firms for combustible dust. Of firms visited, 87%have received citations.

• NEP and Rulemaking

Hayes Lemmerz Huntington, IN 2003

Aluminum Dust

Imperial Sugar Port Wentworth, GA

Post Event

• On Feb. 7, 2008, a combustible dust explosion ripped through the

Imperial Sugar Co. refinery in Port Wentworth, Ga., killing 14

employees and injuring dozens. The incident triggered $8 million in

proposed OSHA fines, a Senate hearing, a renewed call for an

OSHA standard and widespread concerns about combustible dust

hazards. It also prompted Imperial Sugar to make some changes in

its facilities and procedures — including outfitting all workers in fire-

resistant (FR) clothing.

• “Post-event, we have required all employees and visitors to the

manufacturing areas to wear fire-resistant clothing. It's a blanket

requirement and one that is we believe quite conservative,” says

Ron Allen, who joined Imperial Sugar as senior director of

environmental, health, safety and quality in March 2009. “It's

probably unusual for a manufacturer of dry product to require fire-

resistant clothing plant-wide for all employees.”

Investigating the Hazard

• In 2006, the Chemical Safety Board undertook a study of

combustible dust accidents in U.S. industry

– 281 combustible dust accidents from 1980-2005

– 119 deaths

– 718 injuries

• Encouraged OSHA to develop a federal standard on

combustible dust

The Chemical Safety Board

has produced training videos describing

how combustible dust explosions occur

Visit their website at www.CSB.gov

Materials that may form combustible dust include metals (such as aluminum and magnesium), wood, coal, plastics, biosolids, sugar, paper, soap, dried blood, and certain textiles.

A combustible dust explosion hazard may exist in a variety of industries, including: food (e.g., candy, sugar, spice, starch, flour, feed), grain, tobacco, plastics, wood, paper, pulp, rubber, furniture, textiles, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, coal, metals (e.g., aluminum, chromium, iron, magnesium, and zinc), and fossil fuel power generation.

Consumer Segmentation – Combustible Dust

OSHA Poster

Combustible Dust Product or Materials

Agricultural

Products

Egg white

Milk, powdered

Milk, nonfat, dry

Soy flour

Starch, corn

Starch, rice

Starch, wheat

Sugar

Sugar, milk

Sugar, beet

Tapioca

Whey

Wood flour

Agricultural Dusts

Alfalfa

Apple

Beet root

Carrageen

Carrot

Cocoa bean dust

Cocoa powder

Coconut shell dust

Coffee dust

Corn meal

Cornstarch

Cotton

Cottonseed

Garlic powder

Gluten

Grass dust

Green coffee

Hops (malted)

Lemon peel dust

Lemon pulp

Linseed

Locust bean gum

Malt

Oat flour

Oat grain dust

Olive pellets

Onion powder

Parsley (dehydrated)

Peach

Peanut meal and skins

Peat

Potato

Potato flour

Potato starch

Raw yucca seed dust

Rice dust

Rice flour

Rice starch

Rye flour

Semolina

Soybean dust

Spice dust

Spice powder

Sugar (10x)

Sunflower

Sunflower seed dust

Tea

Tobacco blend

Tomato

Walnut dust

Wheat flour

Wheat grain dust

Wheat starch

Xanthan gum

Carbonaceous

Dusts

Charcoal, activated

Charcoal, wood

Coal, bituminous

Coke, petroleum

Lampblack

Lignite

Peat, 22%H20

Soot, pine

Cellulose

Cellulose pulp

Cork

Corn

Chemical Dusts

Adipic acid

Anthraquinone

Ascorbic acid

Calcium acetate

Calcium stearate

Carboxy-

methylcellulose

Dextrin

Lactose

Lead stearate

Methyl-cellulose

Paraformaldehyde

Sodium ascorbate

Sodium stearate

Sulfur

Metal Dusts

Aluminum

Bronze

Iron carbonyl

Magnesium

Zinc

Plastic Dusts

(poly) Acrylamide

(poly) Acrylonitrile

(poly) Ethylene

(low-pressure

process)

Epoxy resin

Melamine resin

Melamine, molded

(phenol-cellulose)

Melamine, molded

(wood flour and

mineral filled

phenolformaldehyde)

(poly) Methyl acrylate

(poly) Methyl acrylate,

emulsion polymer

Phenolic resin

(poly) Propylene

Terpene-phenol resin

Urea-formaldehyde/

cellulose, molded

(poly) Vinyl acetate/

ethylene copolymer

(poly) Vinyl alcohol

(poly) Vinyl butyral

(poly) Vinyl chloride/

ethylene/vinyl

acetylene suspension

copolymer

(poly) Vinyl chloride/

vinyl acetylene

emulsion

copolymer

Heat

Fuel Oxygen

Fire Triangle

3 elements are needed for a fire to start and continue to burn

Dust Explosion Pentagon

Dispersion

Common Sources of Ignition

• Mechanical Sparks

• Frictional Heat

• Hot Work

• Electrical Equipment

• Powered Industrial Trucks

• Open Flames

• Static Electricity

• Hot Surfaces

Food24%

Wood23%

Chemical13%

Metal13%

Rubber/Plastics10%

Utility7%

Paper7%

Non Mfg.3%

Combustible Dust Explosions

Combustible Dust Explosions – 2008

How much dust is a problem?

• Cannot discern the color of the covered surface

• Boot print is left behind

Combustible Dust Regulations

• OSHA has established an NEP (National Emphasis Program) on

combustible dust

• 30,000 Workplaces Receiving OSHA's SHIB (Safety and Health Info

Bulletin)titled Combustible Dust in Industry: Preventing and

Mitigating the Effects of Fire and Explosions (March 2008)

• Has held stakeholder meetings but has not yet issued a federal

standard

• OSHA 1910.132

• Pertinent NFPA standards – NFPA 654 2013 revision

• Up coming edition of NFPA 654 will reference

NFPA 2112/2113 & the need for workers to wear flame resistant

clothing

• The new NFPA 652 Standard will include FR language

Number of Inspections by Industry

NSC Recommendations

• Damage Control

• Even if controls are put in place as required for all types of

operations listed the potential for dust explosions still exist. With

such a case protection of employees and property is still

required to minimize the impacts. Property damage control is

usually accomplished through a combination of engineering

installations designed to direct any pressure increase out of the

building or suppress it and isolate the explosion to one area of a

process. Protection of employees in affected areas is

accomplished through use of appropriate PPE such as Flame

Resistant (FR) clothing, and an ongoing training program.

What can I do?

• Employees who could be exposed to a combustible dust

explosion should be in FR clothing

• Refer to NFPA 2112, Standard on Flame-Resistant

Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against

Flash Fire

• Much more to come in terms of….

– Regulation

– Standards

– Impact on demand for FR clothing

Why Not Wear Everyday

Street Clothes?

• Everyday fabrics can ignite, burn and possibly melt when exposed to an electric arc

– Cotton

– Polypropylene

– Acetate

– Polyester

– Nylon

– Wool

• If everyday fabric does ignite and burn, it will increase the extent of a worker’s injury

FR101: The Basics

• Need for FR – Non-FR is Combustible

– Reaction to ignition (FR and non-FR)

– 100% Cotton myth

• Common Ignition sources

– Ignition of flammable liquids

– Contact with, or close proximity to, molten metals

– Contact with sparks & slag from welding

– Contact with open flames

– High energy electrical discharges

– Explosion of vapors from volatile liquids

– Ignition of combustible dusts

What is Flame Resistant Clothing?

• Clothing made from

fabrics that self-extinguish

• Fabrics may be natural or

synthetic

• Designed to limit (not

eliminate) burn injury

• Survival, extent of injury,

recovery time and quality

of life are all dependent

on FRC performance

Why is FR Needed?

• Most severe burn injuries

and fatalities are caused

by non-flame resistant

clothing igniting and

continuing to burn

• Flame resistant clothing

will self-extinguish, thus

limiting the injury

• Body area under non-FR

clothing is often burned

more severely than

exposed skin

“Primary” vs. “Secondary”

• Primary Protective Clothing

– Definition; “Clothing that is designed

to be worn for work activities where

significant exposure to molten

substance splash, radiant heat, and

flame is likely to occur.” Example-

Firefighter Turnout Gear

• Secondary Protective Clothing

– Definition; “Clothing that is designed

for continuous wear in designated

locations where intermittent exposure

to molten substance splash, radiant

heat, and flame is possible.”

What Flame Resistant Clothing is Not!

• Natural fibers

• Synthetic fibers

• Natural / synthetic blends

• NOTE: Flame resistance must be durable to launderings, wear, the environment, etc. for the service life of the garment

• All – FR fabrics are engineered do not let marketing terms confuse you – inherent –treated etc.

–Look for proven products!

Engineered Flame Resistant Fabrics

What Is a Burn?

A chemical process which progressively injures skin; severity relates to depth

1st : redness, pain – not permanent

2nd: blistering – skin will regenerate

3rd: total skin depth destroyed. Will not regenerate – requires grafting

4th : Underlying muscle damaged

Burn Survival

• Burn percentage, more

than severity, predicts

survival because skin is

infection barrier

• 2nd and 3rd degree

break skin, providing an

infection pathway

• Most hospital deaths 2-

4 weeks post-exposure

are infection (gram-neg

staph)

Burn Injury – Chances of Survival

0

20

40

60

80

100

20 - 29.9 30 - 39.9 40 - 49.9 50 - 59.9

Age Range, Years

% S

urv

ival

25% Body Burn

50% Body Burn

75% Body Burn

Source: American Burn Association (1991-1993 Study)

Burn Injury Costs

• Burn treatment requires

approx. 1.5 days

hospitalization per % burn

• Average hospitalization is

19 days, at costs

exceeding $18,000/day

• Total hospitalization cost

typically ranges from

$200,000 to $750,000,

with many over

$1,000,000 USD

Burn Costs: FR vs Non-FR

Accidents Before FR Accidents

After FRPaid Reserve

Medical

Indemnity

Vocational

Expenses

Total

562,677.78

52,182.14

2510.36

931.53

$618,301.81

250,000.00

721,431.00

7,438.00

0.00

$978,928.00

32,707.38

6,035.28

1,903.55

36.00

$40,682.21

Medical

Indemnity

Vocational

Expenses

Total

184,572.12

30,143.43

2,393.43

20.00

$217,128.98

124,999.00

19,226.00

7,606.00

0.00

$151,863.00

9,213.25

1,890.57

1,195.40

10.00

$12,309.92

Source: PECO Presentation by Bill Mattiford, PES-IEEE Seminar.

Summary Flame Resistant (FR) Clothing

Does not ignite and burn, melt or drip

Maintains a barrier

Insulates the wearer from heat

Resists breaking open

Reduces burn injury and increases chances of survival

Define the Hazard

• 2112 – Flash Fire - A Fire that spreads by means of a flame front rapidly through a diffuse fuel such as a dust, gas or vapors of an ignitable liquid, without the production of damaging pressure

The Next Step

• Already performed hazard analysis

• Decided level of protection is needed

• Clothing must be chosen

– Everyday garments

– Shirts, pants or coveralls

– Outerwear – ?

– Training

Comfort – The Bottom Line

• Never make comfort decisions from graphs, data,

office samples or appearance

• There is simply no substitute

for a wear test

Training Proper Use

• FRC should be appropriate to hazard

• Always the outermost layer

• Worn correctly; zipped, buttoned, etc

• All natural, non-melting undergarments

• Clean, no flammable contaminants

• Repaired correctly and removed from service when

needed

Maintenance of FRC

• Garments should be cleaned to maximize

performance

• Contaminants can “mask” or negate flame resistance

• Care choices

– Home laundry

– Industrial Laundry

– Dry-cleaning

Summary

• Objections to FR are usually based on either cost or comfort…

• Wear tests and current programs clearly show comfort of newer generation FR clothing is equal to like weights of non FR cotton clothing

• Get your assessment done – know your hazard

• Any FR is better than No FR

• Get your layering solutions tested

Thank You

Bulwark Protective Apparel