PBS Issues Report on Combustible Dust Explosions in 2017

From OSHA’s halt of its combustible dust rulemaking process to the Didion Milling explosion in Cambria, WI on May 31 that killed five and injured 12, 2017 has been a relatively busy year for combustible-dust related news.

Powder & Bulk Solids (PBS) mined its archives, news media reports, and publicly available documents to compile an informal, preliminary list of “confirmed” dust explosions in 2017 – incidents where fire officials conducted an investigation and determined dust was the cause of the blast – and “possible,” or “unconfirmed” dust explosions where authorities suspect dust was the cause, but no official designation has been issued.

Four major confirmed dust explosions were reported this year, three of which occurring in the U.S. The report includes descriptions of each confirmed dust explosion, providing details on the background of the facility, contributing factors in the explosion, and the incident’s outcome.

Another list identifies 10 possible dust explosions incidents in 2017. The majority of this list contains explosions that occurred in U.S. facilities.

While not a complete or definitive list of dust explosions that happened this year, Powder & Bulk Solids – the source for dry processing and bulk handling technology news and information – created this initial look at 2017’s events to further awareness of combustible dust hazards.

This free report can be accessed here. 

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