National Fire Protection Association Blog

OSHA publishes new resource to protect emergency responders from fires involving combustible dust

Monday, April 1st, the Occupactional Safety and Health Administration published Firefighting Precautions at Facilities with Combustible Dust. The primary purpose of this document is to outline safe procedures for emergency responders who may be face fires in facilities with combustible dust. The document describes how combustible dust explosions occur and uses previous incidents to illustrate how firefighting operations can prevent combustible dust explosions. The document explains the preparations emergency responders can make before a response and how these preparations will affect the operational plan during a response.

For more information on OSHA visit www.osha.gov and OSHA's Combustible Dust web page.

 

Risk assessment in NFPA codes and standards: a SUPDET presenter weighs in

William Koffel of Koffel Associates, Inc.

Is the codes and standards community ready for risk assessments in NFPA documents?

That was one of a handful of questions posed by William Koffel of Koffel Associates, a fire protection engineering consulting firm, at the Suppression, Detection and Signaling Research and Applications Conference (SUPDET) in Orlando. Koffel highlighted how risk assessments have appeared in NFPA's codes and standards and why it may become more prominent in future editions of documents.

For example, NFPA 101, Life Safety Code^®, has included a risk assessment in the document for a number of years, but Koffel notes that the assessment is "voluntary." Additionally, NFPA 654, Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, includes an optional risk evaluation to determine the necessary level of protection in facilities. 

However, the 2012 edition of NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities, was "the first document I'm aware of that specifically says you have do a risk assessment," says Koffel.

The Fire Protection Research Foundation has developed a guidance document that can assist NFPA technical committees in incorporating risk concepts in NFPA documents. Koffel urged SUPDET attendees to ponder the implications of requirements on risk analysis, such as whether authorities having jurisdictions and code users are ready to take on these analyses.

Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids - See more at: http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?DocNum=654#sthash.zrSiAu6a.dpufP

Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids - See more at: http://www.nfpa.org/aboutthecodes/AboutTheCodes.asp?DocNum=654#sthash.zrSiAu6a.dpuf

Industry's Hot Topic: Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts

Since the Standards Council approval to enter into a revision cycle, the NFPA 652, Standard on Combustible Dusts, draft entered into revision cycle, Fall 2014, and was open for Public Input (PI).  Now that the closing date has past, we finally tallied the number of PIs for NFPA 652. The final count is 470 PIs!

To receive this much input reminds us the impact that the document will have on the industry. It also shows how involved the industry is with our standards development process. Having the industry involved at the birth of a new standard is great as it will only strengthen the docuemnt and make it more applicable to the "real world". The Technical Committee (TC) meets at NFPA in a month (February 12-14) for an exciting First Draft Meeting.

Dust swirls for NFPA codes and standards: a special presentation for NFPA members

Though many of the standards have been around since the early 1920’s, NFPA’s combustible dust standards have only received national attention over the past decade as a result of a series of tragic industrial incidents brought more clearly into focus through investigations by OSHA and the US Chemical Safety Board.

NFPA members are invited to join Guy R. Colonna, P.E., on Thursday, December 20 at 2:00 pm (EST) for this month's free OFFICE HOURS online presentation and find out more about:

• changes to the current standards
• what will be in the new fundamentals standard
• how you can submit input to the technical committee
• NFPA resources to assist you in recognizing, evaluating, and controlling combustible dust hazards in your facility

Members: Sign-up today for this free online presentation.

Not a member? Learn more about the benfits of an NFPA membership.

Related articles

We encourage public participation in the development of our codes and standards

NFPA currently accepting public input for NFPA 13D standard

Comments sought on proposed Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) to NFPA 58

What are the fundamentals of combustible dusts?

With the request to enter into a revision cycle approved by the Standards Council, the Preliminary Daft of NFPA 652, Standard on Combustible Dust, is now accepting public input until January 4, 2013.  The big question circling this document, what are the fundamentals of combustible dusts?

 Fundamentals

If you were to go through the different NFPA dust standards, you will notice similar requirements.  The requirements may not be exactly the same throughout the standards, but the general underlying ideas are there.

The Technical Committee (TC) started the draft out with four main chapters that circle around four basic concepts in each of the dust standards: hazard identification, hazard assessment, hazard management, and management systems.

 Hazard Identification

The very first thing you are going to do is to Identify whether a hazard exists in your facility. Before getting overwhelmed by the combustible dusts standards, you need to determine if the dust in your facility is a combustible dust and if it presents a flash-fire or explosion hazard.  Can the dust burn? Yes, then you will need to determine if it can cause a flash-fire and/or explosion.  To determine if the the dust can present an explosion hazard, the simplest test that can be performed is known as the “go/no-go” test or ASTM E 1226 Standard Test Method for Explosibility of Dust Clouds.  Further tests may be required based on the hazard management methods you wish to use in your facility.  Knowing whether the dust in your facility has a potential for a flash-fire or explosion hazard is essential to determine where you need to go next within the standard and the other standards.  If you do not properly manage the hazards, you are increasing the chance (or risk) of an incident occurring in your facility. 

 Hazard Assessment

After identifying whether the dust in your facility can present a fire, flash-fire, or explosion hazard, the next step to assess the type of hazard you have and where these hazards exist.  The method can be as simple as going through your facility and determine where these hazards exist and develop a means in which they can be managed (see hazard management).  Simply, this method of accessing your facility for hazards  is known as a process hazard analysis. A process hazard analysis (or PHA) is not intended to be complex analysis requiring a facility to hire consultants.  There are many ways to preform this analysis and the TC is developing some guidance to better help the user understand how to perform a PHA. However, if you do not know the hazards or process equipment well enough to make informed decisions, it wouldn’t hurt to have a 3^rd party assist in the review.

 Hazard Management

These are going to be your tools on how to manage the different hazards in the facility: building construction, explosion protection, equipment construction, ignition source control, housekeeping, etc.  There are requirements that will apply to the facility itself and different pieces of equipment.  Some will not apply to your particular facility and other requirements will give you different options that you can apply.

Management Systems

The last major concept when dealing with combustible dusts is management systems.  Management systems cover operating procedures, inspection, testing and maintenance of equipment, training for employees and contractors, emergency planning, incident investigation, management of change, and document retention. Basically, make sure that you use and maintain your equipment properly, train your employees and anyone working in your facility, investigate fire and explosion incidents, keep constant documentation, and procedures for managing any changes in the process, equipment, material, facility, etc.

 

When taking a high-level view at the concepts in each of the dust standards, there are basic concepts that standout no matter what type of dust your facility has. 

The Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts Committee goes to the Standards Council with a preliminary draft.

“Are we at 80%?” The chair kept asking the Technical Committee during their meeting in late August.

The Technical Committee (TC) on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts (CMD-FUN) met to finish work on a preliminary draft to submit to the Standards Council. Their goal was to have a draft of a document that was close to completion, about 80%. This 80% was a milestone that the Committee set for themselves inorder to stay on track with the development of the new standard on the fundamentals of combustible dusts.

Driving this draft forward will allow the public to submit input and comments sooner for the Committee to consider, making this document stronger in the end.

 All new documents must get approval from the Standards Council before entering into a revision cycle.  This will allow the preliminary draft to enter into a revision cycle and to solicit input from the public.  The Committee was able to get the preliminary draft submitted in time for the October Standards Council Meeting (Agenda Item 12-10-15).

 

Coming Soon: NFPA 652

Be prepared to submit your input to the draft on the fundamentals of combustible dusts, pending the Standard Council approval to enter into cycle.

Why is there a technical committee on the fundamentals of combustible dusts?

 

Courtesy Fike Corp. From Deflagration Vent Demonstration at NFPA Combustible Dust Symposium 2010

 

A Brief Background:

In 2003, three major explosions occurred in separate industries and involved three different types of combustible dusts: polyethylene, phenolic resin, and aluminum.  These incidents sparked a study by the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), Combustible Dust Hazard Investigation.  The study identified 281 incidents involving combustible dust between 1980 and 2005 that resulted in 119 deaths and 718 injuries. 

From this investigation (and others that followed), the CSB recommended to facilities that handle, store, use, process, and/or generate any type of combustible dust follow the NFPA dust standards. In addition, the CSB recommended that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) develop a comprehensive regulatory standard that protects employees from combustible dust fires and explosions based on current NFPA standards.  Some of the major concerns that came out of the OSHA stakeholder meetings for the development of a comprehensive dust standard were:

• NFPA dust documents have some inconsistencies between them
• NFPA standards can be confusing to implement
• NFPA standards provide little guidance on the “how” part of the requirements
• Impact to small businesses

There are other concerns about the adoption of NFPA dust documents, but I believe these to be the key factors that started NFPA to consider a restructure of the current Dust committees.

 

NFPA Dust Technical Committee Restructure:

Currently, NFPA develops five major dust standards that target specific dust types:

• NFPA 61, Standard for the prevention of fires and dust explosions in agricultural and food processing facilities
• NFPA 484, Standard for Combustible Metals
• NFPA 654, Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids
• NFPA 655, Standard for Preventing Sulfur Fires and Explosions
• NFPA 664, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities 

These five documents are the responsibility of four technical committees:

• CMD-AGR: TC on Agricultural Dusts (NFPA 61)
• CMD-CMM: TC on Combustible Metals and Metal Dusts (NFPA 484)
• CMD-HAP: TC on Handling and Conveying of Dusts, Vapors, and Gases (NFPA 91, 654, and 655)
• CMD-WOO: TC on Wood and Cellulosic Materials Processing (NFPA 664)

Following the OSHA stakeholder meetings, NFPA staff made a request to restructure the current NFPA dust committees and documents.  The Standards Council in the March 2010 Standards Council Meeitng (Minute Item 10-3-19) voted to publish the notice to solicit comments from the public regarding the restructing of the NFPA dust committees and documents.

The following Standards Council meeting in August 2010 (Minute Item 10-8-36), the Standards Council reviewed the public input of the request to restructure the NFPA dust committees and documents, and established a task group to consider the issues and determine the best option for NFPA dust committee and documents. 

The task group consisted of the current chairs of the four dust committees, four additional representatives from the four dust committees, NFPA staff and a Standards Council member.  They met in early 2011 and from that meeting came up with recommendations and sent them to the Standards Council.  The following was the Standards Council's decision at the March 2011 Meeting (Minute Item 11-3-24):

• Establish a Technical Correlating Committee (CMD-AAC) to oversee the work of the 4 dust committees and the proposed new committee
• Establish a Technical Committee on the fundamentals of combustible dusts (CMD-FUN)
• Task CMD-FUN with development of a new document that contains general requirements used to prevent and protect users of combustible dust from fires and explosions AND directed users to the appropriate industry or commodity-specific standard

The correlating committee’s role over the next few years is to help make the dust documents more consistent with each other while taking into account there will be differences due to industry specific processes and hazards. The fundamental committee's role over the next few years is to develop a draft to solicit public comment and from that a standard that contains general requirements used to prevent and protect users of combustible dust from fires and explosions and directed users to the appropriate industry or commodity-specific standard.

Balance:

For all NFPA technical committees, each committee member is assigned a classification based on their principle interest in the activity of the Committee. The interest classifications that NFPA uses to categorize the committee members are:

• Manufacturer
• User
• Installer/Maintainer
• Labor
• Applied Research/Testing Laboratory
• Enforcing Authority
• Insurance
• Consumer
• Special Expert

No more than 1/3 from any interest category can make up a committee.  This is the key to keeping the balance of the NFPA technical committees. There was one other element when establishing the Technical Committee on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts, ensuring proper representation from the different industries that deal with combustible dusts.

From all the applications and over the course of the year (2011), the Standards Council appointed 28 voting members, 6 alternates, and 2 representatives from OSHA.  From these members, the representation from the different industries are as follows:

Again, balance is the key in this technical committee that has been tasked with the development of a standard to develop the general requirements for all combustible dusts and then direct the users to the industry and commodity-specific standard.

 

What's going on now?

Both CMD-AAC and CMD-FUN have submitted their scope for approval from the Standards Council at the August 2012 Meeting.  Additionally, the fundamentals committee has been working over this past year on a draft document to present to the Standards Council.

NFPA Standards Council issues decisions on several Annual 2012 documents

The NFPA Standards Council acted on the issuance of the Annual 2012 documents along with considering several appeals at its August 7-9, 2012 meeting.

Some of the NFPA Standards Council decisions have been issued and include the following:

Final Decisions:

• NFPA 61, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Plants
• NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
• NFPA 150, Standard on Fire and Life Safety in Animal Housing Facilities
• NFPA 499, Recommended Practice for the Classification of Combustible Dusts and of Hazardous (Classified) Locations for Electrical Installations in Chemical Process Areas
• NFPA 1582, Standard on Comprehensive Occupational Medical Program for Fire Departments

Short Decisions

• TIAs on NFPA 13 (2013 edition), NFPA 13D, (2010 and 2013 edition), NFPA 13R (2013 edition), and NFPA 25 (2011 edition)
• NFPA 1124, Code for the Manufacture, Transportation, Storage, and Retail Sales of Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles

The NFPA Standards Council is a 13-person committee appointed by the NFPA Board of Directors that oversees the Association's codes and standards development activities, administers the rules and regulations, and acts as an appeals body. The Council administers about 250 NFPA Technical Committees and their work on nearly 300 documents addressing topics of importance to the built environment.

Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts? Yes, we have that.

It has been almost a year since the formation of the Technical Committee on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts.  Since its formation, the committee has begun work to develop a document on the fundamentals of combustible dusts. 

What is “Fundamentals of Combustible Dust”?

When handling, storing, conveying, processing, or doing pretty much anything with a combustible particulate solid, there is a chance that you could be creating some unwanted or fugitive dust in your facility.  This dust can present not only a fire hazard but also an explosion hazard under the right conditions.  You will turn to NFPA to figure out how to handle these hazards.

 Currently, NFPA develops five major dust standards that target specific dust types:

• NFPA 61, Standard for the prevention of fires and dust explosions in agricultural and food processing facilities
• NFPA 484, Standard for Combustible Metals
• NFPA 654, Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids
• NFPA 655, Standard for Preventing Sulfur Fires and Explosions
• NFPA 664, Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities

On your lazy Sunday when reading your favorite NFPA standards and while drinking your favorite beverage, you may notice that with the major dust documents there are several key themes throughout the different standards. Starting out the committees goals with this document will be the following:

• Developing key requirements to reduce the hazards associated with combustible dusts
• Developing a road map to direct you to the proper dust document

NFPA wants to make it easier for anyone involved with the combustible dust hazard to know the basic requirements to avoid the hazards associated with combustible dust and to point them to the correct document that is applicable to their industry/dust type.  This was a perfect opportunity for a new committee.

What is the Committee doing?

The Committee met up at the beginning of this year to begin work on a draft document.  From this meeting, the committee had established that some basic elements to prevent dust fires and explosions:

• Hazard Identification - Do you have a combustible dust?
• Hazard Assessment – If combustible dust is present does a hazard or hazards exists?
• Hazards Management – How do you manage the hazards?
• Management Systems – Maintaining the management programs and procedures

Keeping up the Fundamentals:

The TC on Fundamentals of Combustible Dust will be meeting August 14 through 16 in Kansas City, MO.  Here they will be finishing their draft to present to the Standards Council to release to the public.  Interested in what this committee is doing, send me an email.  

 

Read the agenda for the August meeting of NFPA's Standards Council

The NFPA Standards Council will be meeting on August 7-9, 2012 at NFPA Headquarters in Quincy, MA. At this meeting, some of the topics the Council will address include:

• appeals on the issuance of NFPA 61, NFPA 72, NFPA 150, NFPA 499, and NFPA 1582
• issuance of the Annual 2012 documents with Certified Amending Motions
• issuance of proposed TIAs on NFPA 13, NFPA 13D, NFPA 13R, and NFPA 25 regarding antifreeze
• new projects/documents on design, performance, testing, and certification of two-way, portable (hand-held) land mobile radios (LMR) for use by emergency services personnel; common mass evacuation planning guide; and use of respiratory protective equipment for emergency response operations that do not involve structural firefighting
• consider requests from Committees to change revision cycle schedules and committee scopes

Read the full Council agenda and hearings list for further information.

The NFPA Standards Council is a 13-person committee appointed by the NFPA Board of Directors that oversees the Association's codes and standards development activities, administers the rules and regulations, and acts as an appeals body. The Council administers about 250 NFPA Technical Committees and their work on nearly 300 documents addressing topics of importance to the built environment.