Learn how to realize substantial value from conducting a dust hazard analysis.
Due to the growing awareness of combustible dust hazards and broader adoption of regulatory requirements to complete a dust hazard analysis (DHA), manufacturing facilities are increasing efforts to implement hazard prevention and mitigation measures. Several statewide fire codes require facilities that produce or handle combustible particulate solids to conduct a DHA by Sept. 7, 2020 (per the 2019 Edition of NFPA 652, Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust).
The DHA aims to identify fire and deflagration hazards from combustible dusts handled or produced on site, identify gaps in compliance with codes and standards and determine solutions to reduce the risk associated with the identified hazards. It provides actionable, prioritized recommendations for risk mitigation and management. The goal is to reach an acceptable level of risk that protects worker safety, enables business continuity, and limits damage to the facility and the environment should an incident occur. A typical DHA involves material hazard analysis, building and process hazard analysis, and management system analysis.
Based on the facility requirements, budget and circumstances, the DHA can vary in complexity and depth of analysis—there are generally three options: prescriptive/compliance-based, performance-based and risk-based. The compliance-based DHA uses a checklist approach following the guidelines of applicable NFPA standards and is typically the quickest to implement with the lowest up-front cost. This approach identifies gaps in compliance with applicable standards and provides recommendations to close the gaps using the regulatory requirements. However, these gaps can be difficult to reconcile due to operational conflicts or the high capital cost of implementation.
In these cases, performance-based and risk-based approaches can be applied to ensure combustible dust hazards are mitigated consistent with the organization’s risk philosophy and capital budgets. The performance-based approach uses target performance criteria that, if shown to be met, would be an acceptable alternative to implementing prescriptive requirements (e.g., life safety and structural integrity objectives as identified in Section 6.3 of NFPA 652). On the other hand, the risk-based evaluation follows a similar approach but uses a risk assessment to determine acceptable fire/explosion protection measures (as outlined in Section 6.2 and 9.2.1 of NFPA 652). This approach requires an analysis of the likelihood or frequency of a fire/explosion and the severity of the consequences on personnel injuries/fatalities, structural integrity, and business continuity in the event of a fire or explosion incident.
Source: EHS Today