NFPA Requirements Dictated by Dust Hazard Analysis Results

The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) sets requirements for industrial facilities to minimize the likelihood of a fire-related incident.

Establishing practices that comply with the NFPA’s standards is not only required, it is critical for the health and safety of your workers, and for the preservation of your business.

There have been hundreds of documented explosions due to combustible dust since 1980, and over 100 fatalities have resulted from these explosions.

The NFPA requires that all pertinent facilities undergo a dust hazard analysis to determine the explosive index (Kst) and maximum pressure rise (Pmax) of their dust.

The values of these two indices indicate what kind of dust collection, fire prevention, and explosion protection equipment and procedures are necessary for the plant’s compliance.

Is your dust combustible?
Can it explode?

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What Are the NFPA Standards?

There are seven NFPA standards pertaining to combustible and explosive dusts and its dust collection. At Summit, we have in depth knowledge of the standards, and design dust collection systems and procedures to keep your business within compliance.

To review NFPA regulations and standards for yourself, visit NFPA »

NFPA 652

NFPA 652 is the first of four general industry standards set by the NFPA. This standard requires that all facilities conduct a dust hazard analysis to identify any potential issues and then create a plan to address those issues.

NFPA 654

NFPA 654 is a general industry standard about dust collection. Depending on the findings of the dust hazard analysis, this standard requires specific procedures on designing a safe and effective dust collection system.

NFPA 68

NFPA 68 is a general industry standard that requires specific means of explosion venting to prevent catastrophic facility damage.

NFPA 69

NFPA 69 is a general industry standard that requires other means of explosion prevention when explosion venting is not possible, including suppression, pressure containment and spark extinguishing.

NFPA 61

NFPA 61 is an agricultural and food processing standard. This standard seeks to prevent explosions due to dust from grains, seeds, sugar, flour, spices, and other organic materials.

NFPA 484

NFPA 484 is a metalworking industry standard. This standard seeks to prevent explosions resulting from industrial processes such as machining, sawing, grinding, buffing, and polishing.

NFPA 664

NFPA 664 is a woodworking and processing industry standard. This standard seeks to prevent explosions in facilities where processing of wood and wood products can create wood fragments and dust.

Combustible Dust Hazard Analysis

While a dust hazard analysis is a required and complex procedure, it doesn’t have to be a burden on your business operations.

Summit can prepare you for your dust hazard analysis and assist you through the process. We will help you interpret the findings, and work with you to engineer a compliant dust collection system.

Working with a reputable testing company is imperative. This test will determine what kind of dust is produced by your various industrial processes, and whether they are combustible.

Summit recommends working with Fauske. They are a very reputable third-party testing company. We know their testing protocol and can assist in simplifying the testing process.

Summit is committed to “future proofing” dust collection systems to meet upcoming standards and requirements.