Member Article

Global leader warns of the dangers of not taking preventative measures in protecting against dust explosions

A global fire, explosion and pressure relief solutions company is alerting businesses across the woodwork industry of the catastrophic effects that could potentially be caused from a dust explosion within the workplace.

There have been several dust explosions reported worldwide in the woodwork industry simply due to preventive measures not being taken.

Fike UK, based in Kent has dedicated almost 70 years to developing and manufacturing a range of fire, explosion and pressure relief products that their customers have installed and which have resulted in thousands of potentially devastating disasters being prevented.

Keith Avila, General Manager of Fike UK said: “We are committed to providing high quality and safety driven products to our customers in these industries. Our priority is to raise awareness of the dangerous and devastating effects that dust explosions can have and to ensure that the highest quality products are installed to eliminate the risk of any potential disaster. It is imperative that preventative measures are taken in workplaces where there is a risk of dust explosion to avoid becoming another unfortunate statistic.”

Although the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations require businesses to protect workers from the health hazards of wood dust in the woodwork industry, preventative measures are not always taken to protect the workforce in relation to safety.

Dust explosions occur when highly combustible dusts are present, either suspended in the atmosphere or lying on surfaces. Wood dust can be generated from various sources including high speed machining operations such as sawing, routing and turning. Even sanding by hand can cause a risk if the good housekeeping practices are not kept up and dust layers are allowed to form.

According to Fike UK, the problem faced in the industry is getting companies to take the dangers of dust seriously. As dust is common place and natural, many companies are not aware of the ambient levels present and the serious consequences that could arise should prevention not be taken. Dust explosions can be costly, not only financially in terms of lost production time and physical damage to your plant and the environment, but also have other less tangible non-financial consequences - in worst cases - the loss of life. Whilst zero risk is the ultimate goal, logistically it is extremely unlikely, however with appropriate measures set in place, dust explosions are almost completely preventable.

To complement their comprehensive range of explosion protection equipment, Fike has recently launched a new explosion prevention product – Fike Dust Detection System (FDDS) – which uses advanced new technology to detect the presence of unusually high airborne dust particles. The sophisticated device, installed in ducts signals when the levels of dust are too high, eradicating any risk of a potential dust explosion.

Commenting on the new product Keith said: “We firmly believe that this is the best product in the market. As with all of our products, it has been designed and manufactured by a team of industry leading experts carrying out best practice to ensure the product is of the highest quality. When it comes to providing lifesaving products Fike ensure all industry standards are met to the highest possible level and that the products we install add value and eliminate business risk.”

Fike is a globally recognised company with almost 70 years’ experience in developing and manufacturing high quality, safety products that avoid potentially catastrophic and devastating effects within the workplace. Fike is a leader in their industry specialising in providing solutions for companies based within the power, food and drink, wood and pharmaceutical/chemical industries. The company’s products range from bursting discs and explosion protection systems to energetic oil and gas products for the offshore markets. They also cater to provide fire suppression systems, fire detection devices and alarm panels.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Fike UK .