Today’s episode of the Dust Safety Science podcast is a replay of an Ask Me Anything session on operator safety during the handling and cleanup of hazardous dust. This session, which occurred inside the Dust Safety Academy, features David Hakes, President and owner of XP Products, which is based out of Napierville, Illinois. David discusses challenges involved in handling combustible dust and important considerations for certain dust types. In next week’s episode, he answers questions from attendees.
David has a background in Mechanical Engineering from Bradley University. He also has over 30 years of experience in bulk powder systems. He has visited over 400 plants and completed over 100 DHAs, both internationally and in the U.S. and Canada, in industries such as food and beverage, pharma, chemical and plastics, powder coating, metals and wood.
What Should Operators Know About Combustible Dust Safety
In David’s opinion, there has been more focus over the past few years on what happens to the dust collected by dust collectors. Some companies, such as those in the wood products business recycle the waste.
At some point, the operator has to disconnect and remove the waste drum or container underneath the dust collector. More and more emphasis is being placed on the whole process because operators need to be trained. They need to understand what they’re doing, what kind of dust they may be exposed to, and what kind of equipment is on the bottom of the dust collector.
“A dust collector has different components on the bottom – such as a valve, a rotary valve, or a butterfly valve,” David says. “To control the energy source, it is important that there is a lock-out tag-out system in place. There is no escaping the fact that this is an area where a potential safety concern can arise. Rotating valve finger injuries have also increased in recent years, due in large part to valve guards being removed. That’s creeping its way up into the top 10 OSHA violations.”
He added that XP Products has done some work with pharmaceutical companies where they have some active ingredients being collected in a dust collection system near the packaging and filling machines or other equipment.
“[These ingredients} need to be isolated with some kind of bag or liner system and operators should wear PPE clothing, respirators, and other protective gear. But to minimize that exposure, you do your best to capture and control any dust or powder coming from pharmaceutical processes. This allows the operator to tie it off, isolate the product in a drum or container, and then remove it from the site.”
Why Are Guards Being Removed From Rotary Valves?
David said that he frequently sees rotary valves with their guards removed, especially when certain products like fabric and fibreglass end up in the dust collector. In the metal industry, materials that drop through the rotary valve can end up caught in the finger grate.
“This machine guard is right in the middle of a process,” he explains. “The process is dropping material from the dust collector into a waste drum, but it can also be a chokepoint and hinder flow. That’s why they’re removed.”
He emphasized that when finger grates are removed, operators need to understand that they’ve created a potentially dangerous situation. Additional procedures would need to be instituted, such as lock-out tag-out and making sure that no bolts or pieces of equipment are blocked or locked into the veins of the rotor so that it can rotate once the blockage is removed.
What PPE is Recommended for Dust Handling?
David responded to this question by saying that PPE largely depends on the type of dust being handled.
“Let’s assume we’re talking about plastic dust or wood dust from a manufacturing operation. In those situations, you’re typically not suiting up with a full bodysuit, but at a minimum, you need to have a face mask. It could be one of the COVID-type masks. Good working gloves are also a must-have.
“It’s important to have a bump cap when you get underneath those dust collectors, as there are cross beams and other things you can bump your head on. Steel-toed shoes would also be important when you’re moving a drum with 200 pounds of material in it.”
Conclusion
“A dust collector is obviously a piece of equipment that collects dust from somewhere in the process, whether it’s a packaging operation, a grinding machine, a milling machine, a mixer, a bagger or whatever is going on in the plant,” David says. “It’s important that the production manager or whoever is in charge of the dust collectors and removing the waste is aware of what’s going on.”
Maintaining awareness can prevent accidents and tragedies from happening. It isn’t always an easy thing to do, especially in a busy operation, but safety should always be a priority, no matter what the size or nature of the operation may be.
If you would like to discuss further, leave your thoughts in the comments section below. You can also reach David Hakes directly:
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hakes-21a336134/
Tel: 630-464-3800
If you have questions about the contents of this or any other podcast episode, you can go to our ‘Questions from the Community’ page and submit a text message or video recording. We will then bring someone on to answer these questions in a future episode.
Resources mentioned
Dust Safety Science
Combustible Dust Incident Database
Dust Safety Science Podcast
Questions from the Community
Dust Safety Academy
Dust Safety Professionals
Companies
XP Products
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