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Relying on housekeeping as a first line of defense against explosion and fire...
Why going cheap on the dust collection & control system is short sighted... We all know that our cars and trucks have air and oil filters to catch dust to avoid abrasive wear of the engine. We...
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Guidance WorkSafeBC Directive Order to Sawmill Employers
Now that the topic of workplace combustible fire and explosion hazards is out the open in British Columbia sawmills it is important for facility owners and managers to understand the steps in a risk...
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Understanding the WorkSafeBC Lakeland Mills inspection reports
Recently there has been extensive media coverage on the recently released WorkSafeBC Lakeland Mills inspection reports. Media accounts mention dust levels in the reports but fail to inform the public...
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Mountain Pine Beetle Infested Trees Moisture Content in Evaluating Fire &...
Numerous MPB working papers were written for the Mountain Pine Beetle Initiative (MPBI) administered by the Canadian Forest Service. The MPBI began in 2002 and was a six-year package of programs with a...
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GAO Report Results: OSHA and NIOSH Need to Work Together
Occupational health and safety should not solely be inspection, enforcement, and rulemaking. Regarding combustible dust workplace fire and explosion hazards, outreach, education, training, and...
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British Columbia Combustible Dust Hazards Awareness Workshops
Workplace combustible dust related fires and explosions occur with alarming regularity in the global grain, mining, forestry and manufacturing sectors. Although the majority of incidents do not result...
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NEMA Type 9 Enclosures Only for Class II Hazardous Locations?
Currently NEMA only defines Type 9 Enclosures for Class II Hazardous Locations. In contrast, Dusttight enclosures are referenced in NEMA 250 solely for Nonhazardous Locations.(Table 1) This conflicts...
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Media continues to ignore the BC Fire Code
"Standards addressing the explosive dangers of wood dust were not set until after the second deadly explosion in April of this year." This is totally inaccurate as the BC Fire Code referencing the NFPA...
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Combustible Dust Related Fire, One Million Dollar Loss
This is the sort of combustible dust related incident CBS 60 Minutes would not care to hear about when researching for their June 2008 segment on combustible dust, "The Danger of Combustible Dust,"...
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NIOSH Accident Report Catastrophic Coal Storage Silo Explosion
"Do not use water or traditional fire fighting foam; however, micelle encapsulator fire extinguishing agent, such as F-500, should be used. NFPA 1620, Standard for Pre-Incident Planning can be used to...
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Tactical Height Problems Fighting Grain Elevator Fires
Would it be cost effective to have standpipes and fire-fighting hose stations located in grain elevators where fire service aerial trucks cannot reach? NFPA 14. Standard for the Installation of...
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Two Injured Combustible Dust Related Fire in California
Combustible dust related fire in a sawdust hopper area of origin at a NAICS: 321212 Softwood Veneer and Plywood Manufacturing facility in California resulting in two injuries. Ironically the OSHA...
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The CSB Investigating Printing Ink Manufacturing Catastrophic Explosion
Currently the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is investigating the October, 9, 2012 catastrophic explosion at a East Rutherford, NJ printing ink manufacturer resulting in three workers hospitalized. In a...
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Firefighter Injuries Unacceptable Combating Combustible Dust Related Fires
Recent firefighter injuries such as fighting a combustible dust related fire at plastics material and resin manufacturing are unacceptable. This brings back dark memories of the 1993 fire and...
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Ignoring Combustible Dust Fires Results in Belarus Catastrophe
The October 25, 2010 catastrophic dust explosion at the Pinskdrev chipboard facility in Pinsk, Belarus resulting in fourteen fatalities has huge implications amongst the global manufacturing sector....
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Management in Russia Factories Receives Prison Punishment, Combustible Dust...
(Bryansk. Russia) "Feed Processing Facility operated without a special license, worn-out equipment continued to operate where there was no dust collection. Resulting in October 23, 2011 explosion...
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Déjà vu Firefighters Killed & Injured in Repeatable Deadly Silo Explosions
Diagram. Aerial view of incident scene after 1997 explosion Is anyone out there reading these accident reports prepared by the United States Fire Administration (1997) and NIOSH (2003)? Doesn't appear...
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OSHA NEP Conflicting with Fire Service Combustible Dust Fire Response
Wheel Alignment or New Tire? Earlier this year a combustible dust fire and explosion at a North Carolina fiber recovery facility resulting in four injuries has safety professionals scratching their...
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Error in OSHA Combustible Dust; Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
Reviewing the OSHA advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) creates quite a concern. For example in the second sentence of the "Summary" at the top of the page, "For the purposes of this notice,...
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Over 17,000 combustible dust related fires (1980-2005) USA
NFIRS Data From USFA Extrapolating NFPA'sFire Analysis and Research Division estimates from the report "Fires in U.S. Industrial and Manufacturing Facilities," provides in-depth insight into...
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