Combustible Dust Facts

Combustible Dust is....

• Combustible materials that can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form, also known as dust
• Dust suspended in air in the right concentration can be explosive if certain conditions are met
• Materials that do not burn in larger pieces (such as aluminum or iron), can become explosive with the right conditions

 The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) identified 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that led to the deaths of 119 workers, injured 718, and extensively damaged numerous industrial facilities. (For More Information: https://www.osha.gov/dsg/combustibledust/)

Examples of combustible materials in manufacturing: food (candy, sugar, spice, starch, flour, feed), grain, tobacco, plastics, wood, paper, pulp, rubber, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, coal, metals (e.g., aluminum, chromium, iron, magnesium, and zinc)
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Dust Explosion Pentagon- oxygen, heat, fuel, dispersion, and confinement

Secondary Explosions occur when “fugitive dust” has been dislodged, typically from a primary explosion incident.  Often the additional dust dispersed into the air may cause one or more secondary explosions and can be far more destructive than a primary explosion due to the increased quantity and concentration of dispersed combustible dust. Many deaths and extensive damages to facilities have  been linked to secondary explosions.