A number of recent DSEAR assessments have highlighted that many businesses don’t understand the risks from dust explosions and therefore don’t have suitably designed equipment or controls in place.
One factory that creates a dust by-product to its operations has recently added a new extraction system and were unsure of what if any fire/explosion controls had been designed in. The problem is that they had relied upon the system designers and installers to ensure the correct specification had been supplied.
During our survey there were a few concerns where we identified that the system was not providing the protection needed; although safe during normal operations the designers had not built in protection against a non-routine event. If a small ignition was to occur in one part of the system it would easily and quickly spread through the whole extraction system; likely result would be a major fire or explosion.
Ensuring that the right level of protection is designed and built in is critical to ensuring long term plant safety. If not, then over time, the wear and tear on such a system is likely to lead to hot spots or overheating parts providing potential sources of ignition. If such an event was to occur in this system then there are no measures to prevent a major incident occurring. Having a DSEAR assessment completed by competent persons could ensure your business is properly protected.
