There’s no way around it, combustible dust is costly. The highest cost comes when combustible dust is ignored: people die. To prevent that from occurring, Congress, OSHA and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have agreed on a set of regulations that must be enforced. The regulations are based on NFPA’s standards, with different NFPA publications focusing on the unique issues of a variety of industries, including Agriculture and Food Products, Metals, Wood Processing and Woodworking, Textile Care, Recycling, and Pulp and Paper.

In addition to loss of life, failure to comply with standards means serious OSHA fines can be levied against businesses. Let’s review these important NFPA standards: