From "Robbing the Pillar" to Risk-Based Process Safety and Beyond: Pursuing Improved and Sustainable Process Safety Performance

Are you Now in Compliance with the Requirements of NFPA 652

Standard on Combustible Dust?

Vahid Ebadat, Ph.D.

Stonehouse Process Safety, Inc.

www.stonehousesafety.com

An overview of the requirements of NFPA 652 Standard on Combustible Dust and what you need to do to remain compliant.

Overview of NFPA 652

National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 652: Standard on Fundamentals of Combustible Dusts addresses the general requirements for the management of combustible dust fire and explosion hazards and directs the user to appropriate/applicable NFPA's industry or commodity-specific standard. The key requirements of this standard is that covered sites complete a “Dust Hazard Assessment (DHA)” specifically targeting explosible dust issues and preparing written management programs for the continued safe operation of your facility and equipment. NFPA 652 is now the governing standard, where industrial facilities, including agricultural and food processing companies manufacture, process, blend, convey, generate, and/or handle combustible dusts or combustible particulate solids.

Retroactive elements of NFPA 652

This standard applies to all facilities and operations that generate, manufacture, process, handle, or repackage combustible dusts and particulate solids, with exceptions for retail facilities, households, and similar locations. Parts of NFPA 652 apply retroactively to existing facilities. They include management of change, housekeeping, training, maintenance, and documentation requirements.

Key changes to the 2019 Edition of NFPA 652

The deadline for the completion of dust hazard analysis (DHA) for existing processes and facility compartments is September 7, 2020. This aligns with industry and commodity-specific dust standards. NFPA 652 also requires that the DHA be reviewed and updated every five years. Other key changes in the standard will also be overviewed.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the requirements of NFPA 652 for the management of combustible dust fire and explosion hazards, the appropriate/applicable NFPA industry or commodity-specific standards, and the “Dust Hazard Assessment (DHA)” requirement that targets explosible dust issues.
2. Understand the key changes to the 2019 Edition of NFPA 652
3. Understand the retroactive elements of NFPA 652
4. Understand the written management programs that are required for the continued safe operation of your facility and equipment

Vahid Ebadat Ph.D., M.Inst.P, MIET, C.Phys. is CEO of Stonehouse Process Safety, Inc. He has worked extensively as a process safety consultant for the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, paper/wood, and other process industries globally for over 30 years. Dr. Ebadat has published many technical articles and papers and is a regular speaker on process safety topics, including dust explosion, static electricity, gas & vapor flammability, and thermal decomposition/self-heating hazard assessment and control. Dr. Ebadat is a member of NFPA 77 Technical Committee on Static Electricity. For more information, call: 609-455-0001, email: info@stonehousesafety.com, Web: www.stonehousesafety.com