Since 1900, there have been very few years without a combustible dust fatality in the United States. In just six months between January and June of 2019, 13 people across the globe lost their lives and 66 more were injured in industrial fires and explosions involving combustible dust. In addition:
There were 149 incidents: 34 explosions and 115 fires The top three industries affected by combustible dust incidents were agriculture (32%), wood and wood products (22%) and automotive and metal working (9%).
These losses don’t need to happen. A combination of awareness, education, and cross-industry collaboration can minimize and even eliminate the number of people and businesses impacted by dust fires and explosions.
Dr. Chris Cloney (P.Eng) founded DustSafetyScience in 2016 to document combustible dust incidents across the globe, analyze the circumstances that led to them, and share the findings with industry professionals, facility managers, workers, and the public.
“We struggle with obtaining accurate information, have difficulties with underreporting of severe incidents, and see challenges with getting global coverage. However, substantial feedback from our community (over 2000 people around the world to date!) show us that we are on the right track with our work,” Dr. Cloney says.
To support its goal of a zero-fatality year by 2038, DustSafetyScience is holding the first annual Digital Dust Safety Conference from February 24 - 27, 2020. The first online event of its kind, it will feature presentations from leading dust hazard researchers and experts.
The event will include industry training seminars and the latest research featuring presentations on process safety, hazard identification, past-incident analysis, prevention and protection solutions, fire and explosion modelling, and explosion testing. Each of the 40+ presenters will be sharing their unique insights and knowledge of the trends and challenges in the industries that generate, handle, or transport combustible dust.
In addition to the scheduled sessions, the conference includes:
A virtual exhibit area where registrants can connect with equipment and service providers, combustible dust experts, and media and trade associations. A community forum (currently open) that presents opportunities for informal meeting and networking.
After the live digital conference concludes, presenters and attendees will have six-month access to the Dust Safety Academy (DSA) Platform, where they can access replays from the event.
Those who are interested in attending can learn more about sessions and pricing at DDSC2020.com.
