NFPA 652, Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust, requires that all facilities handling or producing combustible dust complete a DHA. While NFPA standards are not themselves enforceable, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) relies on these standards when conducting enforcement activities under the Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program. In addition, compliance with NFPA 652 may be required under state and local fire codes, which are typically structured around NFPA 1, “Fire Code,” and/or the International Fire Code.

The focus of a DHA is to identify fire, flash fire, and explosion hazards. This is accomplished applying a high-level understanding of potential ignition sources, a basic understanding of the operations involved, and representative dust characteristics. We aim to provide a coherent focus of control and mitigation strategies for controlling combustible dust fire and explosion risk.

Conducting a DHA involves a systematic approach to identifying and mitigating combustible dust hazards. For every identified hazard, it is essential to establish safe operating ranges and outline existing hazard management measures. The primary objective of conducting a DHA is to meticulously pinpoint all potential hazards within your facility, particularly those that might have been previously unrecognized. This could be achieved by

• Identifying dust fire and explosion hazards
• Assessing risk of dust fire and explosion by evaluating the ignition likelihood and consequence of dust fire and explosion
• Recommending effective and practical hazard and risk control measures
• Tackling both dust fire and dust explosion hazards hand-in-hand

A dust hazard analysis is a systematic review to identify potential hazards, evaluate existing safeguards, and recommend additional safeguards or process improvements to reduce combustible dust explosion or fire hazards. NFPA 652 does not specify a particular format, but common elements of the DHA include a review of combustible dust data, evaluation of operating parameters, development of hazard scenarios, evaluation of existing safeguards, and protection and mitigation recommendations. A DHA is part of an overall strategy to protect people and facilities from the dangers of a combustible dust explosion.

A DHA of process equipment is a complex task that requires a multidisciplinary approach involving individuals with expertise in various fields related to process safety management, engineering, and industrial processes.

The individual tasked with conducting the DHA not only profoundly influences its effectiveness, but also profoundly impacts the safety of employees exposed to these dangers. Ultimately, defining the qualifications of a capable individual remains one of the most perplexing and underestimated aspects of a DHA.

A DHA should be completed on all existing processes and new processes being built. It should be reviewed and updated at least every 5 years, or whenever changes are made to the process.

Our consultants undertake a Dust Hazard Analysis in a holistic way to eliminate potential fire, and explosion hazards and risks that could affect plant personnel.

By implementing best practices, our actionable insights determine what practicable control measures and recommendations should be made for your company to optimise safety and reduce the level of risk to people, business, existing facilities, workplace, and environment.