
Burning dust in a sugar plant
May 5, 2008Just as you can start a fire by tossing a handful of flour or powdered sugar into the air followed by a burning match, the ignition of dust particles can cause huge fires and resulting damage.
On February 8, northeast of Savannah, Georgia, the deaths of 13 workers and severe burn injuries by other employees followed an explosion and raging fires at the Imperial Sugar Refinery. Apparently sugar dust in a silo ignited like so much dynamite. Here’s an aerial view of the plant from the Savannah Morning news:
Now questions are exploding in Congress and in the streets of Washington DC about what OSHA is doing to prevent such tragedies. At one end of the blame spectrum, American Rights at Work declares that Elaine Chou, the Secretary of Labor, has been less than forthright in pushing for stronger regulation of workplaces in danger of dust-caused explosions. After an investigation, OSHA cited the company’s refinery in Louisiana for violations of safety standards and assessed a $36,000 fine. The company has 15 days to protest, according to the Savannah Morning News.
Blame issues aside, the reality is that many manufacturing companies carry a risk of explosion of fine particles. A description of the major areas of concern for “dust hazards” is provided by OSHA, and businesses noted for a high risk can take advantage of this and other information to make their workplaces less susceptible to explosive dust.
Industries most at risk, according to OSHA:
Food (candy, starch, flour, feed)
Plastics
Wood
Rubber
Furniture
Textiles
Pesticides
Pharmaceuticals
Dyes
Coal
Metals (aluminum, chromium, iron, magnesium, zinc)
Fossil fuel power generation
Most natural and synthetic organic materials, as well as some metals, can form combustible dust.


