Combustible Dust, house keeping and Fire prevention.

Combustible dust is any fine material that has the ability to catch fire and explode when mixed with air. Combustible dusts can be from: most solid organic materials (such as sugar, flour, grain, wood, etc. ) many metals, and ; some nonmetallic inorganic materials.

What is combustible dust and why should you care ? For starters, combustible dusts can actually cause explosions under certain conditions. there are 5 elements that must be present to cause a dust explosion. 1. ignition source, 2. fuel (dust), 3. confined space, 4. dispersion or suspension, the dust becomes suspended in the air, 5. oxygen. The logical way to prevent a dust explosion is to eliminate one or more of the five elements. Fuel is the one thing we can control, good housekeeping is a must. The second element we must control is a heat source or ignition source. Preventive maintenance and hot works permits are key functions in preventing fires and explosions.