A product invented for the dairy industry can help reduce the danger of wood dust explosions.

Ever since the wood industry began, fire in the mill has been an underlying danger. Spontaneous combustion of wood chips, wood dust fires and explosions, are events that can wreak havoc and result in major damage and costs. In the worst cases, they take the lives of workers.

Mills have extensive and sophisticated systems to catch and extinguish sparks which could initiate a fire or explosion. Prevention is the right solution, certainly, but what if the unthinkable happens?

In 2008, after a catastrophic dust explosion in a Georgia sugar factory, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill requiring the Occupational Safety and Hazards Administration (OSHA) to set standards for regulating combustible dusts.

In response, the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) is holding a dust awareness, prevention and mitigation workshop in Atlanta on October 23. Clearly, it’s an important concern for the industry.
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