Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, the federal agency responsible for investigating industrial chemical accidents, issued its final safety recommendations in a report that probed the cause of an explosion at a metal recycler in New Cumberland, WV.
- AL Solutions experienced a combustible dust explosion at its facility in 2010, leading to the death of three employees and injuring a contractor.
- The report revisits a recommendation by the agency that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration promote a "general industry combustible dust standard." The CSB said it has petitioned for a standard since 2006.
Dive Insight:
The CSB reports that nine significant combustible dust incidents were investigated by the agency since 2003. The explosions and fires were responsible for 36 deaths and 128 injuries during this timeframe. In 2012, OSHA fined a Texas electronics recycling plant after a combustible dust explosion injured two employees.