Five years after a combustible-dust explosion killed 14 workers in Georgia, legislators are again demanding that federal safety regulators set standards for such hazards. The ‘‘Worker Protection against Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires Act of 2013’’ (H.R. 691) would require that OSHA issue a standard for regulating combustible industrial dusts. The bill was introduced Tuesday (Feb. 12) by U.S. Reps. George Miller, D-CA.; John Barrow, D-GA; and Joe Courtney, D-CT.
The final standard would have requirements for hazard assessment, building design, and explosion protection; an interim standard would be developed and implemented until final standard is issued.
The reintroduced act would:
- Streamline OSHA’s process for issuing an interim standard and direct OSHA to issue an interim final combustible standard within a year;
- Direct that the standard include requirements for housekeeping, engineering controls, workers’ training, and a written safety program;
- Apply relevant National Fire Protection Standards (NFPA) that call for dust control; and
- Direct OSHA to issue a final standard within 18 months and require it to include relevant parts of NFPA standards.
H.R. 522: Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosions and Fires Act of 2011 was never voted on by both houses!