Here at Dual Draw, we’ve talked a lot about combustible dust, and how people expose themselves to danger without even knowing they may be in harms way. We have posted about requirements you should know about when handling combustible dust, as well as some methods of controlling them.

We have yet to discuss the different categories of combustible dust. Helping people know what materials they need to be careful with is a good way of ensuring appropriate handling of such materials.

The Five Combustion Categories

There are five general classifications of combustible dust; handling any of the materials that fall under these categories have the potential to cause a combustible dust explosion. These categories are:

  • agricultural dust
  • carbonaceous dust
  • chemical dust
  • metal dust
  • and plastic dust

The last four categories of combustible dust may not be much of a surprise to most people. These hazardous materials have shown their combustion potential in other fields, and are even sought out for their explosive properties. Sulphur, under chemical dust, aluminum under metal dust, and charcoal under carbonaceous dust are good examples of these substances. What takes most people by surprise is the first category of combustible dust in the workplace.

Our Combustible Food

Agricultural products maybe the last thing you think about when discussing things that might explode. But, it is a true statement that a lot of the food items grown and processed on farms can explode easily.

Agricultural products in an airborne, powdered form (such as whey, rice, flour, and sugar) may just need a spark to turn into an explosion. If an organization wants to minimize the threat of combustion in their businesses and they handle materials that fall into the above categories, they need to actively manage these substances and develop a comprehensive plan to ensure industrial dust in the workplace is safely mitigated.

If you want to know more about how you can protect your people from the effects of combustible dust with clean air equipment and air filtration units, contact us today. Our goal is to design and manufacture DualDraw downdraft booths, downdraft tables and dust extraction equipment to help make workplaces safer, and we can work together to make it happen.