DSS017: Combustible Dust in the Media with John Forrester of Powder & Bulk Solids

In this episode of the Dust Safety Science Podcast, we have an insightful discussion with John Forrester, managing editor of Powder & Bulk Solids. John shares his views on incident reporting in traditional media, trade magazines, and other resources, a process he calls the “combustible dust news reporting ecosystem.”

In this interview, we learn how the following can fit together:

Traditional news reporting
Trade magazines such as Powder & Bulk Solids
Awareness and education by Dust Safety Science and university groups
High-value reports like those issued by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board

Mainstream Media vs. Trade Publications

John spends much of his day searching the web for news stories relevant to the powder handling industry. This subject encompasses a lot of industries, from chemicals to pharmaceuticals to food, so John goes through resources like the following:

Social media pages for local fire departments and fire marshals
Company websites
Traditional media

Traditional media consists of websites for local newspapers, television stations, and radio stations. These resources tend to approach stories about combustible dust incidents with a focus on how it affects the community, such as:

Road closures
Evacuations
Injuries to local firefighters

The traditional media tends to publish information as quickly as possible. If there’s a road closure or leakage of hazardous materials, the goal is to inform the community right away. From an educational point of view, the value of their information can be limited because:

They don’t often have the cause of the incident included in their write-ups because the fire marshal hasn’t had time to conduct an investigation
They rarely follow up on it and write a story about why it happened
They don’t know the terminology for engineering or material handling processes

When these publications reference a grain bin, conveyor system, feeder, or other equipment, it is often necessary to second-guess the story because the reporter and even the fire department representative who gave them information isn’t always familiar with the subject. The equipment or process that contributed to the fire or explosion is buried in the story, if it appears at all.

In contrast, the trade press (which includes Powder & Bulk Solids) frames these stories in a way that’s of interest to engineers and other technical professionals, who are looking for the process factors and equipment-related factors that led to these incidents.

The trade press has more time to collect information and frame it in a manner that spreads awareness of combustible dust hazards and educates readers on the various causes. Furthermore, organizations like the U.S. Chemical Safety Board may conduct investigations that last two to five years while a Ph.D student or professor at a university could make it the subject of an in-depth study. As a result, we may only get one CSB report every couple of years where with Dust Safety Science incident database we may see 10 fires and two or three explosions every week. That is one of the reasons for keeping incidents open in the incident database until all of the information is known.

Introducing the Combustible Dust Incident News Ecosystem

To generate actionable results for operations with combustible dust hazards present, there has to be a degree of collaboration between what John calls the combustible dust incident news ecosystem.

At the top of this system is the gold standard, which would be information from government and other official sources, such as the CSB and OSHA. They have the most concrete information as to the cause and the factors that led to these incidents, making their reports useful to engineers and technical professionals.

Local media does a good job of publishing initial reports and drawing some attention to the problem. Trade media frames these incidents for an industry audience. Organizations like Dust Safety Science, Purdue University, and the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center (to name a few) collect and analyze this data. There are also conferences such as the Powder Show, which will be taking place in Toronto this year, and webinars like the Online Events offered by Powder & Bulk Solids, all of which spread awareness.

Collaboration between these different members of the ecosystem and increased interaction can help things move forward. John said that the ideal way to affect change is a complete and unified effort among all actors.

Collecting and Verifying Information

John said that in most instances, police departments, fire departments, and other organizations are strapped for resources and busy dealing with other incidents, so it can be difficult to contact them and get information in a timely manner.

In an ideal world, there would be a streamlined fire and explosion incident reporting system that fire marshals could use to electronically submit reports, but at the moment it is a manual process, although John believed that there could be a more coordinated effort with fire officials if it was an attractive enough opportunity.

Who Are the Audiences for This Information?

The audiences for Powder & Bulk Solids and other trade resources are, first and foremost, companies that work with powders and bulk solids and have combustible dust hazards present in their facilities. They want to protect their bottom line and their workers. Other parties include:

Equipment manufacturers who are constantly working to innovate their equipment to make sure it delivers peak performance and meets safety standards
Regulators who follow the stories in the mass media about combustible dust incidents
The fire protection community, which faces challenges with combustible dust fires and explosions
Organizations like the NFPA, which help facilities to comply with existing standards and need to stay on top of what’s going on in the industry.

Back in episode 13 of the podcast, we talked with Ali Alnajdawi about the Port Aqaba grain silo explosion. Mr. Alnajdawi uses resources like the U.S. Chemical Safety Board videos and write-ups from Powder & Bulk Solids to teach courses at the local university in Jordan. A combustible dust news reporting ecosystem with a global reach could deliver immeasurable educational value and help to serve those in other areas of the world.

Conclusion

This interview with John emphasizes the wisdom and value of going beyond traditional news sources alone and partnering with sources like university groups, government groups, and trade magazines like Powder & Bulk Solids to create a more robust system for sharing, tracking, and capturing information about combustible dust incidents. Let’s hope that the combustible dust news reporting ecosystem becomes more of a reality as 2019 progresses!

If you would like to discuss further, leave your thoughts in the comments section below or you can reach John Forrester directly via LinkedIn.