EWI Can Clean Your Combustible Dust Before it Becomes Dangerous

Sure, dust is annoying, but it can also be dangerous and combustible, especially when produced on an industrial scale.

Heavy machinery used at industrial facilities cuts, crushes, grinds, incinerates, mills and pulverizes product, and, as a result, generates dust that rises and accumulates on anything and everything. The more that this dust, known as combustible (or explosive) dust, is allowed to accumulate, the higher the risk of ignition, which can lead to catastrophic damage.

Combustible dusts are often either organic or metal dusts that are finely ground into very small particles, fibers, fines, chips, chunks, flakes, or a small mixture of these. Types of dusts include, but are not limited to: metal dust, such as aluminum and magnesium; wood dust; plastic dust; biosolids; organic dust, such as sugar, paper, soap, and dried blood; and dusts from certain textiles, according to EMSL Analytical, Inc.’s website.

The most recent statistics from the Chemical Safety Board show that combustible dust accidents are still a very serious problem at manufacturing facilities in the United States, with 111 combustible dust accidents resulting in 66 worker deaths and 337 injuries from 2006 to 2017.

Environmental Works, Inc. (EWI) offers comprehensive industrial dust cleaning services so that you can be proactive about keeping your facility safe and clean. If, unfortunately, you have a combustible dust accident, the company also offers emergency response and remedial clean up services in the wake of the incident.

EWI added industrial-scale dust cleaning as a service line three years ago, and has been tackling major cleaning jobs since.

The company’s dust cleaning crews have been able to complete hundreds of projects on time, on budget, without incident, and with grit, all while being exposed to extreme heat, high wind, hazardous chemicals and dangerous air particles. On more than one occasion, EWI crews have been asked to do such cleaning while production continued at the facilities, exposing environmental technicians to extreme environments but allowing clients to avoid costly plant shutdowns.