MSDSonline Environmental, Health & Safety Blog

The Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently released a safety video titled “Combustible Dust: An Insidious Hazard,” which demonstrates the dangers of accumulating combustible dust particles and how they lead to catastrophic explosions that kill and maim workers and damage surrounding communities. 

The video illustrates how combustible dust buildup lead to three major accidents that the CSB has investigated and it includes actual news footage and photographs from the events.

Combustible dusts are solids that have been ground down into small bits, fibers, particles or flakes that have the ability to ignite into flames when suspended in air under certain conditions. They exist in a variety of industries from sugar manufacturing to metal processing to recycling operations. Many times companies don’t realize the dangers that these particles present until it’s too late.  According to OSHA, more than 130 workers have been killed and more than 780 injured in combustible dust explosions since 1980.

OSHA has recognized the dangers of these explosive particles for some time and earlier this year announced its plan to initiate a comprehensive rulemaking on combustible dust.  In a statement made on April 29, 2009, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said, “Over the years, combustible dust explosions have caused many deaths and devastating injuries that could have been prevented. OSHA is reinvigorating the regulatory process to ensure workers receive the protection they need while also ensuring that employers have the tools needed to make their workplaces safer.” 

For details about current OSHA standards related to combustible dust as well as fact sheets, explanations and guidelines for preventing explosions, visit the OSHA Web site.

To access the new CSB combustible dust video you can visit the CSB Web site or you can view it on You Tube here.  We think it does a great job of detailing the effects of this preventable workplace hazard and it does it in a captivating way.

– The MSDSonline Compliance Team

By July 1, some companies that produce, manufacture, process or use certain chemicals must submit Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) reports to the EPA and the states where they operate as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (ECPRA) of 1986.

The quantities and types of chemicals in your inventory determine which form, Form A or Form R, you use to submit your reports.  Each year, the EPA collects and consolidates these reports into a publicly accessible TRI database.

The TRI reports that are due on July 1, 2009, should include hazardous chemical inventory information from 2008, and must comply with the new guidelines that became effective on March 11 when President Barack Obama signed the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. 

The new guidelines essentially call for more detailed reporting and revert back to requirements that were in place prior to December 22, 2006.  According to the EPA, “The change requires that all reports on persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals be submitted on “Form R,” the more detailed form. For all other chemicals the shorter form, “Form A” may be used only if the “annual reporting amount” is 500 pounds or less and that the chemical was manufactured, processed or otherwise used in an amount not exceeding 1 million pounds during the reporting year.”

Should you be reporting?
Hopefully, you already know whether your company must comply with this federal law, but if  not your not sure, the EPA’s First Time Filers resource page is available to help you make the determination.

If you still have questions, we encourage you to contact a representative in the EPA’s TRI  Program Division.

– The MSDSonline Compliance Team

The program’s focus is on solid municipal waste and certain industrial wastes. Examples of municipal waste materials are: office paper, corrugated containers and yard waste—the stuff that can either end up in your trash cans or your customers’. Examples of industrial wastes covered in the program are: non-hazardous batteries, coal combustion products and non-hazardous ink.

Companies of all sizes and from all industries are welcome join. As long as you can measure and report your company’s waste output, you’re eligible to participate. And not only will your efforts as a WasteWise partner help the environment, but they can also help your bottom line. One of the member benefits includes reduced purchasing and waste disposal costs.

So, if you’re interested in joining or learning more, check out the WasteWise Web site.