When you hear about large-scale combustion explosions and loss of human life, you wonder how this tragedy could happen. And, yet, the No. 1 cause of industrial fuel and combustion system explosions is human error. Therefore, the most critical element of every combustion safety system is not pressure gauges or shut-off valves, but rather knowledgeable, well-trained operators. Training is so critical that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires that “all operating, maintenance, and supervisory personnel shall receive regularly scheduled retraining and testing.”
In all, the NFPA publishes three prescriptive sets of standards to help keep your staff and combustion equipment safe, and each of these standards stress the value of operator training.