Get Tough on Dangerous Dust

One example of workplace dirt that is downright dangerous is combustible dust. If not properly managed, combustible dust can explode. Accidents of this type have reported killed 1,000 workers over the last 30 years.

Combustible dusts are fine particles that present an explosion hazard when suspended in air in certain conditions. When some types of dust—sugar, fertilizer, and certain powdered metals, for example—collect in sufficient quantity and concentrations, rapid combustion can occur. If this happens in an enclosure like a building, the pressure can cause a catastrophic explosion.

According to OSHA, in many such accidents, employers and employees were unaware that the hazard was present.

OSHA recommends implementing a program that includes hazardous dust inspection, testing, housekeeping, and control.

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Whatever safety meeting you need, chances are you’ll find it prewritten and ready to use in BLR’s Safety Meetings Library on CD. Try it at no cost or risk. Here’s how.

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Other Best Practices

Additional practices to prevent buildup of combustlble dust include:

• Using proper dust collection systems and filters
• Minimizing the escape of dust from process equipment or ventilating systems
• Using surfaces that minimize dust accumulation and facilitate cleaning
• Regularly inspecting for dust residues in open and hidden areas
• Using cleaning methods that do not generate dust clouds if ignition sources are present
• Using only vacuum cleaners approved for dust collection
• Locating relieve valves away from dust deposits

And Don’t Forget About Training

One of the best ways to ensure a safer workplace is to train employees to work more safely. Whether it’s housekeeping practices to eliminate safety and health hazards or other key issues, a well-trained workforce means a safer workplace.

BLR’s Safety Meetings Library provides the perfect materials for conducting frequent and engaging training on a broad range of essential safety and health topics. This cost-effective resource provides ready-to-train meeting content as well as supporting handouts, quizzes, posters, and safety slogans.

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We challenge you to NOT find a safety meeting you need, already prewritten, in BLR’s Safety Meetings Library. Take up our challenge at no cost or risk. Get the details.

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All told, the CD provides you with more than 400 ready-to-train meetings on more than 100 key safety topics—a shrewd investment in this time of tight safety budgets. In addition to the meetings’ supplemental quizzes and handouts, you also get relevant regulations (OSHA’s CFR 29), a listing of the most common safety violations cited by OSHA, and case studies of actual OSHA cases and their outcomes.

Safety Meetings Library lets you choose from a variety of training approaches, including:

• Mandatory—Sessions that are OSHA-required
• Comprehensive—Sessions with broadest coverage of a topic
• 7-Minute—Short, simple, targeted sessions to fit tight schedules
• Initial—A session used as introductory training on a topic
• Refresher—Sessions that follow up on or reinforce previous training
• Tool Box Talk—More informal reinforcement of a topic
• PowerPoint®—Graphic presentations for comprehensive initial or refresher training
• Hands-on—A session in which there are training activities
• Spanish—Including Spanish language handouts and quizzes coordinated with English sessions

You can get a preview of the program by using the links below. But for the best look, we suggest a no-cost, no-obligation trial. Just let us know and we’ll arrange it for you.