Chilworth Technology’s process safety services will help all process manufacturing companies affected by the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 652: Standard on Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts, scheduled for release in 2015. The new standard addresses the fundamentals of recognizing and managing combustible dust hazards, and industry challenges in following the current industry or material-specific NFPA standards that are related to combustible dust.
NFPA 652 will provide the fundamentals of combustible dust management including the basic principles of, and requirements for, identifying and managing the fire and explosion hazards of combustible dusts and particulate solids regardless of industry.
A requirement of the new standard will be that covered sites complete a “Dust Hazard Assessment (DHA)” specifically targeting exposable dust issues. The standard allows a three-year period for completion of DHAs for existing facilities and specifies that these assessments be performed or led by only qualified personnel with experience in DHA’s. Chilworth Technology has been performing DHA’s for almost 30 years, according to the company.
Other parts of NFPA 652 that apply retroactively to existing facilities include management of change, housekeeping, training, maintenance and documentation requirements. The new standard will apply to all facilities and operations that generate, manufacture, process, handle or repackage combustible dusts and particulate solids, with exceptions for retail facilities, households and similar locations.
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