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Location: Galveston County, Texas, United States

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Explosions Continue at More Plants

Explosions and fires continue on a regular basis at plants and facilities throughout the United States that generate combustible dusts. So far there is no comprehensive work place safety standard to prevent future potential incidents where fatalities and injuries occur like at the recent Imperial Sugar refinery explosion in Georgia last week. By a stroke of luck and the grace of God, no one was injured in this incident at Endres Processing Plant.



Past fires and explosions at the plant have resulted in a worker fatality, five injured workers, serious safety violations and thousands of dollars in fines.




This week another explosion occurred at the Endres Processing Plant in Rosemont, North Dakota, which recycles bakery and food byproducts into animal feed.


A fire at Endres Processing, a plant in east Rosemount that turns discarded baked goods into livestock feed, halted work on Wednesday.




Since there were no fatalities or injuries the incident will not be reported to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA)officials



Most of the other fires at the plant also happened in equipment at the drying bin. Aker said dust from extra-dry grain can cause explosions in high temperatures.





Types of Combustible Dusts



  • metal dust, (aluminum and

    magnesium)

  • wood dust;

  • plastic dust;

  • biosolids;

  • organic dust, (such as

    sugar, paper, soap) and

  • dried blood; and

  • dusts from certain textiles.


The Chemical Safety Board (CSB), a federal agency in the United States completed a two year investigation concerning combustible dusts in the work place and submitted the report to the Secretary of Labor back in November 2006. The primary recommendation of the federal agency was that OSHA institute a comprehensive work place standard and regulation concerning combustible dusts. So far the Department of Labor has not followed up on this recommendation, while preventable fires, explosions, injuries, and fatalities continue to occur at plants and facilities that generate combustible dusts.

Chemical Safety Board Recommendations


Nearly eight years ago on May 15, 2000, Endres Processing experienced another explosion that resulted in one fatality and four injuries.




An explosion in 2000 prompted OSHA to investigate Endres after an employee died and four others were injured. The company paid $33,000 in fines for failing to keep the plant free of grain spills and flammable dust and for not following its own safety procedures.




Endres Processing contested the fine stating that it was not bound to the OSHA regulation concerning combustible dust hazards since the facility was not a grain processing facility.


According to the contest, Endres, however, is not subject to the requirement because Endres does not receive or use as stock material any unprocessed grain materials. Accordingly, Endres is not a grain handling facility and is not subject to the OSHA standard for grain dust at such facilities.




This is where the root problem is now concerning accidents that are now occurring...there is no workplace safety standard.



Industries

that handle combustible dusts include:




  • agriculture

  • chemicals

  • textiles

  • forest

    and furniture products

  • wastewater

    treatment

  • metal

    processing

  • paper

    products

  • pharmaceuticals

  • recycling

    operations (metal, paper, and plastic)

  • Tire and rubber manufacturing

    plants


In addition to recent letters that prominent legislators have sent to the Secretary of Labor regarding needed amendments to OSHA work place standards concerning combustible dust hazards in the workplace a petition is now being generated by Care2, where over 8 million members have gotten involved in a myraid of issues that require change.



Give Us Combustible Dust Standards - Stop The Insanity" petition!






Explosions Continue at More Plants

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