Blackline Safety is a technology leader driving innovation in the industrial workforce through IoT (Internet of Things). With connected safety devices and predictive analytics, Blackline enables companies to drive towards zero safety incidents and improved operational performance. Blackline provides wearable devices, personal and area gas monitoring, cloud-connected software and data analytics to meet demanding safety challenges and enhance overall productivity for organizations with coverage in more than 100 countries. Armed with cellular and satellite connectivity, Blackline provides a lifeline to tens of thousands of people, having reported over 200 billion data-points and initiated over seven million emergency alerts. For more information, visit BlacklineSafety.com and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
EHS Safety News America has shared an excellent video and article surrounding the topic of combustible dusts and the hazards that they pose to safety in industry.
Any combustible material (and some materials normally considered noncombustible) can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. If such a dust is suspended in air in the right concentration, it can become explosive. The force from such an explosion can cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. Such incidents have killed scores of employees and injured hundreds over the past few decades.
Materials that may form combustible dust include metals (such as aluminum and magnesium), wood, coal, plastics, biosolids, sugar, paper, soap, dried blood, and certain textiles. In many accidents, employers and employees were unaware that a hazard even existed.
Combustible Dust and Worker Safety Monitoring
Businesses which face the risk of fire or explosion due to the presence of combustible materials often foresee the need to monitor the safety of their employees using new best practices. To monitor worker safety in an area with combustible particulate present, certified Intrinsically Safe equipment is a requirement. The lone worker safety solutions by Blackline GPS are certified Class I, Division 1, A, B, C, D and Class II, Division 2 E, F, G Intrinsically Safe, making it appropriate for use in environments where combustible or explosive gases, metal dust, and grain dust poses a risk.