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OSHA News Release
2008 - 03/12/2008 - OSHA Reissues its Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
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Trade News Release Mar. 12, 2008 Contact: Office of Communications Phone: (202) 693-1999 OSHA Reissues its Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program
Agency Enhances its Enforcement Activities at Facilities Handling Combustible Dusts WASHINGTON -- The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reissuing its Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program (NEP) Instruction. The NEP will increase enforcement activities and focus on specific industry groups that have experienced frequent combustible dust incidents. "Combustible dust fires or explosions can pose significant dangers in the workplace," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "With this new Combustible Dust NEP, the Agency will increase its activities in outreach, training, and cooperative ventures with stakeholders, as well as enhance its enforcement activities." The purpose of this NEP is to inspect facilities that create or handle combustible dusts which can cause intense burning or other fire hazards when suspended in air, and can lead to explosions. Combustible dusts are finely ground organic or metal particles, fibers, fines, chips, chunks, flakes, or small mixtures of these materials. Types of dusts include, but are not limited to, metal (aluminum and magnesium), wood, plastic, biosolids, organic (sugar, paper, soap and dried blood), and dusts from certain textiles. Combustible dusts can be found in the agricultural, chemical, textile, forest and furniture products, wastewater treatment, metal processing, paper products, pharmaceutical and recycling operations (metal, paper and plastic) industries. As a result of a recent catastrophic accident involving combustible dust at a sugar refinery plant, OSHA is intensifying its enforcement activities at facilities where combustible dust hazards are known to exist. Under this revised NEP, each Area OSHA Office is expected to inspect at least four facilities each fiscal year. Under the previous NEP, each Area Office was expected to conduct at least one inspection. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. ###
U.S. Labor Department releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audiotape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance. |
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