Chapter 40 Dust Explosion and Fire Prevention

All facilities and operations that manufacture, process, blend, convey, repackage, generate, or handle combustible dusts or combustible particulate solids shall be in compliance with NFPA 652 and, as applicable, NFPA 61, NFPA 69, NFPA 85, NFPA 120, NFPA 484, NFPA 654, NFPA 655, and NFPA 664.

Existing facilities shall perform a dust hazards analysis (DHA) in accordance with Chapter 7 of NFPA 652.

The owner/operator shall establish written procedures for operating its facility and equipment to prevent or mitigate fires, deflagrations, and explosions from combustible particulate solids. [652:9.3.1]

The owner/operator shall establish safe work practices to address hazards associated with maintenance and servicing operations. [652:9.3.2]

Equipment affecting the prevention, control, and mitigation of combustible dust fires, deflagrations, and explosions shall be inspected and tested in accordance with the applicable NFPA standard and the manufacturers' recommendations. [652:9.4.1]

The inspection, testing, and maintenance program shall include the following:

1. Fire and explosion protection and prevention equipment in accordance with the applicable NFPA standards
2. Dust control equipment
3. Housekeeping
4. Potential ignition sources
5. * Electrical, process, and mechanical equipment, including process interlocks
6. Process changes
7. Lubrication of bearings

The owner/operator shall establish procedures and schedules for maintaining safe operating conditions for its facility and equipment in regard to the prevention, control, and mitigation of combustible dust fires and explosions. [652:9.4.3]

Where equipment deficiencies that affect the prevention, control, and mitigation of dust fires, deflagrations, and explosions are identified or become known, the owner/operator shall establish and implement a corrective action plan with an explicit deadline. [652:9.4.4]

Inspections and testing activities that affect the prevention, control, and mitigation of dust fires, deflagrations, and explosions shall be documented. [652:9.4.5]

A thorough inspection of the operating area shall take place on an as-needed basis to help ensure that the equipment is in safe operating condition and that proper work practices are being followed. [652:9.4.6]

Employees, contractors, temporary workers, and visitors shall be included in a training program according to the potential exposure to combustible dust hazards and the potential risks to which they might be exposed or could cause. [652:9.5.1]

General safety training and hazard awareness training for combustible dusts and solids shall be provided to all affected employees. [652:9.5.2]

Refresher training shall be provided as required by the AHJ and as required by other relevant industry- or commodity-specific NFPA standards. [652:9.5.3]

The training shall be documented. [652:9.5.4]

Owner/operators shall ensure the requirements of Section 40.8 are met. [652:9.6.1]

Only qualified contractors shall be employed for work involving the installation, repair, or modification of buildings (interior and exterior), machinery, and fire and explosion protection equipment that could adversely affect the prevention, control, or mitigation of fires and explosions. [652:9.6.2]

A written emergency response plan shall be developed for preparing for and responding to work-related emergencies including, but not limited to, fire and explosion. [652:9.7.1]

The emergency response plan shall be reviewed and validated at least annually. [652:9.7.2]

The owner/operator shall have a system to ensure that incidents that result in a fire, deflagration, or explosion are reported and investigated in a timely manner. [652:9.8.1]

The investigation shall be documented and include findings and recommendations. [652:9.8.2]

A system shall be established to address and resolve the findings and recommendations. [652:9.8.3]

The investigation findings and recommendations shall be reviewed with affected personnel. [652:9.8.4]

Written procedures shall be established and implemented to manage proposed changes to process materials, staffing, job tasks, technology, equipment, procedures, and facilities. [652:9.9.1]

The procedures shall ensure that the following are addressed prior to any change:

1. * The basis for the proposed change
2. * Safety and health implications
3. Whether the change is permanent or temporary, including the authorized duration of temporary changes
4. Modifications to operating and maintenance procedures
5. Employee training requirements
6. Authorization requirements for the proposed change
7. Results of characterization tests used to assess the hazard, if conducted

Implementation of the management of change procedure shall not be required for replacements-in-kind. [652:9.9.3]

Design and procedures documentation shall be updated to incorporate the change. [652:9.9.4]

The owner/operator shall establish a program and implement a process to manage the retention of documentation, including, but not limited to, the following:

1. Training records
2. Equipment inspection, testing, and maintenance records
3. * *Incident investigation reports
4. Dust hazards analyses
5. * *Process and technology information
6. * *Management of change documents
7. Emergency response plan documents
8. * *Contractor records

The owner/operator shall evaluate the effectiveness of the management systems presented in this standard by conducting a periodic review of each management system. [652:9.11.1]

The owner/operator shall be responsible for maintaining and evaluating the ongoing effectiveness of the management systems presented in this standard. [652:9.11.2]