The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has long asserted that chemical dust explosions are a "serious industrial safety problem." CSB research reveals that nearly 200 dust fires and explosions have occurred in U.S. industrial facilities over the past 25 years, resulting in approximately 100 fatalities and 600 injuries.

According to OSHA, combustible material can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. If such a dust is suspended in air in the right concentration, under certain conditions, it can become explosive. Even materials that do not burn in larger pieces can explode in dust form.

What are the NFPA standards that address combustible dust issues? Tony and Mike: In trying to sort through the list of combustible dust standards, a good starting point for every EHS professional is NFPA 654, the Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is commending the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) for exceeding the Board’s recommended actions in developing a new gas process safety standard. The CSB issued an urgent recommendation in June, 2010 following the February 7, 2010, deadly natural gas explosion at the Kleen Energy electric plant – then under construction in Middletown, Connecticut.

Both OSHA and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have written standards and regulations that build on one another and help keep all workers safer from electrical hazards in the workplace. In this case, the OSHA regulations and NFPA standards work so well together it’s been said that OSHA provides the "shall" while NFPA provides the "how."