How to Safely Manage Combustible Dust

Many industrial practices result in the creation of a byproduct known as combustible dust. This comes from a wide range of operations and industries- sand handling in foundries, grinding operations in metalworking, even waste conveying in woodwork can result in the production of combustible dust. While the idea of dust might seem like nothing to worry about, combustible dust poses an alarming risk to workplace safety. What defines combustible dust is its ability to cause an explosion when exposed to any form of ignition, regardless of its physical or chemical composition. This means that charcoal, aluminum, some resins, and even powdered milk can be considered forms of combustible dust. A combustible dust’s risk factor is measured by a value called KST: any form of dust that has a KST greater than zero is considered to pose a risk for explosion. The ignition of combustible dust is sadly not unheard of, and has proven to cause significant destruction of workplaces, lead directly to worker injury, and has even taken lives. It is not an issue to be understated or overlooked by any means.

The first step to safely managing your facility’s combustible dust is to conduct a dust hazard analysis, also known as a DHA. This is a process used to get an overview of your facility’s total risk of damage due to combustible dust. Such a process entails identifying sources and significant areas of dust generation; areas, equipment, and processes which present flash or fire hazard; identifying current safety protections for further evaluation; and finding areas where safety improvements are needed or can be made.

Once an exhaustive DHA has been performed, all areas of concern should be identified so that a plan can be developed to improve your facility’s current combustible dust management systems and implement new systems as needed. These protocols should include safe prevention, collection, and disposal of combustible and explosive dust.

After a strategy has been developed, steps should be taken to implement the necessary changes. This can include the introduction of new process steps or procedures that encourage best practices to minimize the creation or spread of combustible dust. It can also include upgrades to current dust collection systems, or the integration of new dust collection equipment on the shop floor. Workers and operators should be properly trained on how to put any new procedures into practice and safely use any new equipment that has been introduced to the workspace.

With a thorough understanding of the cause of combustible dust, the industries that create it, and the safety risk that it poses, Diversitech has carefully developed a line of air filtration products which minimize the amount of dust, combustible or otherwise, in your workspace. 3 of our most common pieces of equipment used to mitigate combustible dust are wet dust collectors, wet downdraft tables, and environmental booths.

Diversitech’s Typhoon WS Series of wet dust collectors are designed to capture and scrub combustible dust from a process air stream right at the source. Our wet dust collectors use powerful blowers or vacuums to efficiently pull air from a capture hood or machine exhaust port, with each central Typhoon collector capable of filtering multiple combustible dust waste streams. Inside the dust collectors, particles are separated from the air by bonding with drops of water suspended in the process air. Once bonded, the dust and water molecules fall like raindrops to the bottom of the dust collector for safe collection and disposal. These are a great choice for operations that send dust particles flying in all directions, like sanding, grinding, and deburring. Each model comes equipped with an automatic water refill system for continuous dust collection and reduced downtime. We have four different models suited for different production capacities, with airflow as low as 1200 CFM or as high as 6500 CFM. Low-cost filters, a compact footprint, and compliance with NFPA combustible dust guidelines make the Typhoon series a great option of removing widely dispersed combustible dust particles from the air in your workplace.

Available as standalone units or as add-ons to any wet dust collector unit are Diversitech’s Monsoon Wet Downdraft Tables. The Monsoon Wet Downdraft tables specialize in capturing dust from table-top applications such as grinding and de-burring. Paired with the Typhoon Wet Dust collector as your central collection system, this duo of wet dust collectors will minimize the amount of airborne combustible dusts in your facility.

These tables are equipped with their own self-contained wet dust collection system similar to the Typhoon. The difference with the Monsoon wet downdraft tables is that they double as workspaces, so dust-rich activities can be conducted on them with minimal risk of combustible dust spreading throughout the workplace. The Monsoon’s blower draws air directly from the worktable, so dust is captured at the source just as quickly as it is created. All Monsoon models are in compliance with both OSHA and NFPA guidelines and allow for nearly countless customization options suited for any scale or type of finishing operations.

For combustible dust control that is entirely tailored to your facility’s needs, Diversitech offers custom environmental booths and dust collector modules. These booths are enclosed in a way that minimizes the spread of combustible dust throughout your facility, maximizes the amount of dust collected, and still allows for proper ventilation and airflow for operator safety. Custom booths are available for all kinds of sanding, grinding, painting, and other finishing operations. We have retractable booths for those looking for a space saving solution, wet dust collection booths well suited to large operations, industrial paint boots for painting and coating operations, and so much more. Whether you are striving to work toward a safety solution that meets or exceeds NFPA standards, OSHA standards, or both, Diversitech can make your goals a reality.