CSB report renews call for a combustible dust standard

Charleston, WV – A number of combustible dust-related incidents, injuries and deaths over the past decade might have been prevented had OSHA promulgated a standard covering the hazard, according to a Chemical Safety Board report released July 16.

The report analyzes a metal dust explosion and fire that killed three workers and injured a contractor at West Virginia scrap metal processor AL Solutions on Dec. 9, 2010. It also reiterates CSB’s recommendation for OSHA to issue a combustible dust standard – a suggestion first made in 2006.

In 2009, OSHA released an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on combustible dust following a 2008 explosion that killed at least 14 people at the Imperial Sugar refinery in Port Wentworth, GA. According to the current regulatory agenda, OSHA intends to initiate a review panel on the proposed rule in December, as required under the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act.