Combustible Dust in Industrial and Manufacturing Settings
Expert Mark Ramos joins OH&S to delve into the unseen challenges and solutions when it comes to managing combustible dust in industrial and manufacturing facilities.
- By David Kopf
- Sep 06, 2023
Throughout nearly every industrial or manufacturing facility lies a silent yet potent adversary: combustible dust. Often overlooked, combustible dust has the potential to wreak havoc. For safety managers, the challenges of managing and mitigating these threats can be daunting.
A seasoned expert who is no stranger to the challenges and intricacies of managing combustible dust in industrial-manufacturing settings is Mark Ramos, the Business Development Manager IVACS, Western Region, for Nilfisk, a global manufacturer of professional cleaning equipment, including systems for collecting combustible dust.
Ramos has dedicated his work at Nilfisk to understanding and addressing the complexities of dust collection and safety. Having joined the company in 2000 as a district sales manager for the Pacific Northwest, Ramos’s responsibilities grew over time, leading him to oversee territories spanning from the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska to the western provinces of Canada. ,
Hi work in dust collection and safety took on even more importance in 2008, when the fatal explosion at the Imperial Sugar Mill in Port Wentworth, Ga. prompted OSHA to heighten safety regulations surrounding combustible dust. Ramos, having been on the field and in management roles, witnessed firsthand the industry's response to these regulatory shifts. His travels across diverse regions allowed him to interact with a variety of industries, broadening his understanding of the safety concerns surrounding dust.
In a conversation with Occupational Health & Safety, Ramos provides insights gleaned from his years in the field, offering a comprehensive view of combustible dust management's challenges and solutions in the industrial-manufacturing setting.
OH&S: What makes the industrial-manufacturing setting unique when it comes to combustible dust safety?
Ramos: A lot of it is about buildup. In most facilities, it comes down to basics. It's about the programs you have in place to mitigate dust buildup. Do you consistently monitor and remain true to whatever your policy is? I could share some stories from over the years and places I've visited. When you walk into a facility and say, "I'm gonna do a site assessment," you try to understand what people's challenges are.
A lot of people see everything that's going on at floor level. We can look down and see what's on the floor, and observe what's in and around equipment. But I tend to look up. If you observe dust residing in the rafters, that's the "out of sight, out of mind" dust that exists in many facilities. This indicates there's probably not a comprehensive program in place.
This article originally appeared in the September 2023 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.