Combustible Dust

Handling of dust extraction with explosive risks within composite machining

One of the most serious risks caused by dust in manufacturing environments is that of combustible dust. When this dust comes in contact with the right concentration of oxygen, an explosion can occur. A source for ignition is all it takes to trigger an explosion.

The explosion might not be contained to the immediate vicinity. Dust explosions spread from the small explosion around an ignition source to the rest of the facility. In these cases, the initial explosion stirs up the dust in the rest of the facility, and then that dust ignites. The secondary explosion can be significant, injuring or killing workers and destroying property. To avoid the extreme dangers of combustible dust, its accumulation must be prevented by using dust collectors. Nederman is a leading manufacturer of dust collectors with a proven history of controlling dust and mitigating the chances of fires and explosions.

Explosive dusts or potentially explosive atmosphere occur in a wide variety of workplaces

Dust from most organic materials, composites/synthetic materials and metals can be combustible, and attention to prevent dust explosions is a necessity. The European Community has passed two directives on explosive atmospheres/combustible dust (called the ATEX directives), which came into effect on 1st July 2003 and July 1st 2006. The application of these two directives has led to increased protection against explosions, making various technical and organizational actions mandatory. Similarly in North America, NFPA standards are applicable. 

As leading experts in industrial air filtration, Nederman develops ATEX compliant products that fulfill the highest safety requirements.

Is your waste combustible?

In many ways composite dust has similar combustible properties to wood dust. Watch us test several wood dust samples to see what happens when an ignition source is added to airborn dust.