UKM-SUM24-PG44+45_Layout 1 26/06/2024 17:05 Page 44
AIR CLEANING
ATEX COMPLIANCE KEEPS COMBUSTIBLE DUST EXPLOSIONS AT BAY
he dangers posed by combustible dust are so potentially serious that implementing the minimum safety measures of a mitigation plan and risk assessment are either legally required or highly recommended for most production facilities around the world – even those where the likelihood of an explosion is incredibly small.
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This makes being familiar with the specific standards and codes in your region – or regions, given the inevitable geographical variations – vital. In the EU, two main directives are legally required, with ATEX 153 outlining minimum requirements for the health and safety of employees, and ATEX 114 ensuring that equipment suppliers such as Donaldson provide the most-effective solutions to make potentially explosive atmospheres safer. Previously known as ATEX 137 or the ‘social’ or ‘workplace’ directive, ATEX 153 1999/92/EC requirements oblige employers to evaluate the potential risk at their premises, whether or not explosive dust is likely.
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Melina Diaz, product engineering manager at Donaldson, outlines the steps required to comply with legislation designed to ensure workplaces are optimally placed to minimise the possibility of combustible dust creating an explosion risk.
Assuming they have sufficient knowledge, this risk assessment can be performed – on a regular basis – by the employer’s own Health & Safety personnel, using the checklist in Article 8 of the Directive to help address current combustible dust risks. Integrating risk-mitigation planning may well reduce financial outlay while keeping the explosion risk-assessment process on track. And, while the most advanced mitigation technologies may have higher initial price tags, when compared with the overall cost of a combustion event, including the potential loss of life resulting from secondary explosions, premium options that reduce downtime, clean- up and damage will invariably seem much-less
expensive in the long-term. From a legislative viewpoint, the most important aspect is to maintain all explosion- prevention documentation, highlighting the steps and mitigations that were (or were not) taken, should an incident occur. An assessment involves classifying the factory into zones, differentiating between gas or dust explosion risks and their potential likelihood. Harmonised standards from the EN60079 series outline this classification, ranging from No Risk where there is no potential gas or dust atmosphere in the factory, through Zone 22 (or Zone 2 for gas) where the risk may be present for up to 10 hours per year, Zone 21 (Zone 1 for gas)
Summer 2024 UKManufacturing
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