OSHA Targeting Exposure of Workers to Combustible Dust Hazards
OSHA has issued proposed penalties of $254,000 to an Illinois-based pet food manufacturer after finding the company committed willful and repeat violations for exposing workers to combustible and respiratory dust hazards, which increased the likelihood of an explosion in the manufacturing plant. The plant allegedly had not installed a dust collection system with explosion protection and used electrical equipment and forklifts that were not approved for use in combustible-dust atmospheres. For support for the proposed penalties, OSHA cited a 2010 titanium dust explosion in West Virginia that killed three workers, a 2008 sugar dust explosion in Georgia that killed 14 workers, and a U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board report identifying 281 combustible dust incidents between 1980 and 2005 that caused 119 deaths and 718 injuries.
