Methods Of Preventing Combustible Dust Explosions

By Douglas Stone


Different plants have different residues depending on what they are manufacturing. There are companies whose main residue is dust. These include powder processing companies, aw milling plant among many others. This powder may be harmful if not well handled. The article below discusses combustible dust explosions.

The first step is to confirm that the kind of dirt being produced in your plant is combustible dirt. Maybe the term is new to you, and you may not be sure of what it means. Then you should go on to conduct your research. Once you are assured you can call in the contractors to come get rid of it and you will know what equipment is to be used.

Your employees are the reason why your plant stays afloat every day. Their well-being should be a priority for you. As you employ them, tell them about the risks of the job. Tell them about the danger of combustible dirt. You should also never neglect to tell them what is required of them in the event of an emergency so that they can stay safe.

Make sure that the plant is cleaned regularly. It is normal for the dirt to settle every time the plant is at work. The secret is not to let it accumulate. If there is no dust, there will be no explosion. Regular cleaning is one of the best methods of avoiding explosions. Make sure that all the hard to reach places are cleaned as dirt is most likely to settle there.

You need to come up with a way of telling if the plant is cleaned as scheduled or not. Some employees may feel that they know better and neglect cleaning out the powder and after a while, the plant come burning to the ground. To steer clear of such a scenario, make sure that you have an inspection crew that can assure of the place being cleaned.

As you dust, the powder may blow away into the air. It may seem harmless but eventually, the powder will accumulate, and the air will be potentially explosive. If the dust is combustible and it does blow too close to an ignition source, the plant will come down faster that you can blink. Recovering from such damage will take a lot of money which may be scared.

Make sure that the ignition points in the plant are as minimal as possible. The ones that are not in use can be completely gotten rid of. You should also put up no smoking signs because some people may be ignorant and lead to the end of the company. Make sure the ignition points are cleared of powder even more regularly than other places.

Ensure that the vacuums used in cleaning the plant are those of class two. You should not ignore and go for normally sized vacuum cleaners. They may be unable to handle the volume of powder in your plant and end up having electric malfunctions. Then there will be the spark followed by the powder explosion.




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