Additional Industries Added to OSHA’s Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program Following Revisions
OSHA announced the revisions on January 27, 2023.
- By Alex Saurman
- Jan 30, 2023
Just last week, OSHA announced revisions to its Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program.
In the news release, OSHA said that the program will now include six additional industries: commercial bakeries, printing ink manufacturing, cut stock, resawing lumber, and planning, leather and hide tanning and finishing, truss manufacturing and grain and field bean merchant wholesalers. Why the change? “OSHA found they had a higher likelihood of having combustible dust hazards or experienced combustible dust-related fatalities/catastrophes,” the news release said.
According to the revision, six other industries are also being removed. They include fossil fuel electric power generation, cookie and cracker manufacturing, pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing, unlaminated plastic profile shape manufacturing, noncurrent carrying wiring device manufacturing and blind and shade manufacturing.
"The combustible dust NEP is one the agency's important programs for proactively inspecting the nation's most hazardous facilities before a catastrophic incident occurs," stated Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker in the news release." The results of a combustible dust fire or explosion can be catastrophic to workers and the facilities that they work."
Combustible dust incidents can have serious and fatal consequences for employers and employees. From 1980 to 2005, these incidents lead to 199 worker deaths and 718 injuries, according to OSHA.
Revisions take effective January 30, 2023.