Wondering if your facility may have combustible dust? In some cases, less than 1/4 inch layer of dust can explode or ignite. Here's a demonstration of how to collect and ship a sample to a lab for testing. Every plant, in industries including food, pharmaceutical, wood, agricultural, cosmetic, petrochem, plastics, manufacturing and more can be at risk. Testing is inexpensive and can help to determine which collection units are best suited to your plant.
Video Transcript
Hi, I'm Mark and this is Deb. We're with Fauske & Associates. We're here to help you out today just in case you're doing a new dust collector, similar type of equipment that you needed to know how explosible is my dust or powders in my operation. Well, we're going to go do that today. Let's do it Deb. Hold on a second, Mark. Before we get started, let's make sure we're wearing proper safety equipment; hard hat, safety glasses, and depending on the nature of the material that you're handling, you may wish to implement other safety measures such as gloves or a dust mask. Let's do it.
When collecting your sample, you want a fairly large container and a natural bristle brush. It helps to reduce the potential for static discharge. Depending on your material, even the smallest spark could be hazardous. I need at least one to two pounds of material.
The best representation of the material in your process can be found inside your dust collector's filter. You can get additional material from the bin beneath the dust collector. If you don't have a dust collector, there are other areas where you can collect your material. From the light fixture, from the rafters, I-beams, and duct work. How did she get around so fast?
Finer particles tend to accumulate on elevated surfaces, so you want to collect that material the same way that you did out of the dust collector. Now we're ready to ship the material for testing. Be sure to double check the weight to ensure you have at least one to two pounds of material. The sample name you provide will be the name on the report. Provide any special instructions that you may have, like if you want to test per OSHA standards, or if you want to return any unused sample once testing is complete. Include the safety data sheet, sample tests options for them, payment information, along with your material.
We've packaged your material to ensure limited movement during transit. Follow us along our journey with the dust. Fauske & Associates, world leader in nuclear and chemical process safety.
We receive questions daily regarding potential dust explosion and combustible dust hazards and what to do - so we thought a video blog-worthy! Give us your feedback on what else you'd like to see regarding plant safety. Or, contact us with any questions at dust@fauske.com or 630-323-8750
