The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), as part of its investigation into the May 2017 Didion Mill explosion, issued “Call to Action: Combustible Dust” to gather comments on the management and control of combustible dust from companies, regulators, inspectors, safety training providers, researchers, unions and workers affected by dust-related hazards.

This initiative asks for information from all individuals and entities involved in the safe conduct of work within inherently dust-producing environments at risk for dust explosions. The agency seeks input on a variety of complex issues, including: recognizing and measuring “unsafe” levels of dust in the workplace; managing responsibilities and expectations that sometimes are at odds with each other (e.g., performing mechanical integrity preventive maintenance while simultaneously striving to minimize dust releases in the work environment); and the methods for communicating the low-frequency but high-consequence hazards of combustible dust in actionable terms for those working and overseeing these environments.

Comments can be emailed to combustibledust@csb.gov until November 26, 2018. The CSB will use the information provided to explore new opportunities for safety improvements.