Combustible Dust Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify dust explosion and reactivity hazards

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Gas and Vapor

Laboratory testing to quantify explosion hazards for vapor and gas mixtures

UN-DOT
Classification of hazardous materials subject to shipping and storage regulations
Hydrogen
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Thermal Stability

Safe storage or processing requires an understanding of the possible hazards associated with sensitivity to variations in temperature

Adiabatic Calorimetry
Data demonstrate the consequences of process upsets, such as failed equipment or improper procedures, and guide mitigation strategies including Emergency Relief System (ERS) design
Reaction Calorimetry
Data yield heat and gas removal requirements to control the desired process chemistry
Battery Safety

Testing to support safe design of batteries and electrical power backup facilities particularly to satisfy UL9540a ed.4

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Cable Testing
Evaluate electrical cables to demonstrate reliability and identify defects or degradation
Equipment Qualification (EQ)
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Water Hammer
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent unwanted hydraulic pressure transients in process piping
Acoustic Vibration
Identify and eliminate potential sources of unwanted vibration in piping and structural systems
Gas & Air Intrusion
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent intrusion of gas or air in piping systems
ISO/IEC 17025:2017

Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Testing

ISO 9001:2015
Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO 9001:2015
Dust Hazards Analysis
Evaluate your process to identify combustible dust hazards and perform dust explosion testing
On-Site Risk Management
On-site safety studies can help identify explosibility and chemical reaction hazards so that appropriate testing, simulations, or calculations are identified to support safe scale up
DIERS Methodology
Design emergency pressure relief systems to mitigate the consequences of unwanted chemical reactivity and account for two-phase flow using the right tools and methods
Deflagrations (Dust/Vapor/Gas)

Properly size pressure relief vents to protect your processes from dust, vapor, and gas explosions

Effluent Handling

Pressure relief sizing is just the first step and it is critical to safely handle the effluent discharge from an overpressure event

FATE™ & Facility Modeling

FATE (Facility Flow, Aerosol, Thermal, and Explosion) is a flexible, fast-running code developed and maintained by Fauske and Associates under an ASME NQA-1 compliant QA program.

Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical
Engineering and testing to support safe plant operations and develop solutions to problems in heat transfer, fluid, flow, and electric power systems
Hydrogen Safety
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Thermal Hydraulics
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Nuclear Safety
Our Nuclear Services Group is recognized for comprehensive evaluations to help commercial nuclear power plants operate efficiently and stay compliant
Radioactive Waste
Safety analysis to underpin decomissioning process at facilities which have produced or used radioactive nuclear materials
Adiabatic Safety Calorimeters (ARSST and VSP2)

Low thermal inertial adiabatic calorimeters specially designed to provide directly scalable data that are critical to safe process design

Other Lab Equipment and Parts for the DSC/ARC/ARSST/VSP2 Calorimeters

Products and equipment for the process safety or process development laboratory

FERST

Software for emergency relief system design to ensure safe processing of reactive chemicals, including consideration of two-phase flow and runaway chemical reactions

FATE

Facility modeling software mechanistically tracks transport of heat, gasses, vapors, and aerosols for safety analysis of multi-room facilities

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Published May 16, 2017

OSHA Combustible Dust Standard is a Misnomer

It's a highly searched set of words on the internet: "OSHA Combustible Dust Standard..." But, it doesn't make sense.  It should say "National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Combustible Dust Standard". Essentially, the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970, employers are required to provide their employees with a place of employment that "is free from recognizable hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious harm to employees.') is being followed with OSHA, but building code requires you to follow NFPA. The ever changing science is too much for OSHA to keep up with so makes sense that NEP and NFPA guide the way...Combustible Dust Testing

In January of 2016, Bloomberg BNA published:  "OSHA Poised to Pass on Combustible Dust in 2016".  Not much has moved since then nor appears to be able to move. Rightfully so.  As a regulatory agency, OSHA's abilities from a practical standpoint can sometimes be decades behind the boots on the ground. A one-size-fits-all approach for codes or tests not only does not apply to the variety of small businesses, evolving materials and equipment but even bigger facilities may need years to adapt and adopt. 

NFPA develops and publishes more than 300 consensus codes and standards intended to eliminate death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire. It provides the following three codes directly addressing combustible dusts:

NFPA 652: Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust

NFPA 654: Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids

NFPA 664: Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities

So, while OSHA has guidelines, it cannot address nor keep up with the complexities "of the hazard and an already robust regulatory agenda, emergency response and industrial observers," per BBNA. Still, the "OSHA Hazard Communication Guidance for Combustible Dusts" is important for defining combustible dusts and the role of oversight in the workplace overall. OSHA'S National Emphasis Program (NEP) lays out the role of inspection and allowable levels of dust accumulation prior to testing - based on 1/32" and bulk, for example here: https://www.osha.gov/dep/enforcement/Combustible_Dusts_04212015.html

For more information on Combustible Dust Hazards Assessments (DHA), How to Collect a Hazardous Dust Sample or even Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs), contact Dr. Ashok Ghose Dastidar, PhD, MBA, Vice President, Dust & Flammability Testing and Consulting Services, dastidar@fauske.com 

 

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