October Events Focus on Preventing Dust Explosions
An Oct. 19 seminar and Oct. 20-21 symposium are in Kansas City, Mo., sponsored by the NFPA and its affiliated Fire Protection Research Foundation, will include a case study by Imperial Sugar's vice president of Manufacturing & Engineering.
Two events taking place in Kansas City, Mo., next month deal with a hot topic of the moment: how to prevent dust explosions in industrial settings. Sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association and the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of NFPA, they start with an Oct. 19 seminar and continue with an Oct. 20-21 symposium, New Strategies for Dust Explosion Hazard and Control.
The symposium will include a case study, titled "A Comprehensive Approach Toward Preventing Combustible Dust Explosions," delivered by Ralph Clements, vice president of Manufacturing & Engineering for Imperial Sugar.
Symposium keynote speeches from OSHA and the National Association of State Fire Marshals will describe federal and state legislation and enforcement and recent latest changes in NFPA standards. An industry panel moderated by Bob Zalosh, founder of Firexplo, Inc., a Wellesley, Mass., fire and explosion protection consulting company, and former professor of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, also will discuss best practices for identifying and mitigating hazards.
Attendees can take part in a tour of Fike Corporation's newly expanded training facility in Blue Springs, Mo.
"This year's symposium will focus on the practical aspects of implementing good explosion mitigation practices," said Kathleen Almand, executive director of the foundation. "It will include a case study from Imperial Sugar on lessons learned from their catastrophic explosion and fire in 2008 and a multi-industry panel presenting their latest best practices."
The seminar will focus mainly on NFPA 654, Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, and how its use helps facilities manage dust explosion hazards and meet OSHA requirements. The instructor is John M. Cholin, P.E., president of Oakland-N.J.-based J.M. Cholin Consulants Inc.