Industries that are affected are those that have factories, storage areas and plants or silos that may have combustible dust. This involves different industries from computer manufacturing plants to food production industries.

If you are part of the agricultural sector, then your company is definitely affected by the explosive dust initiative conducted by OSHA. The grain handling facility standard has undergone various changes on cleaning and upkeep. Only a single grain handling facility explosion has been reported since these standards were passed. The standards have resulted in strict and thorough cleaning schedule, regular upkeep and knowledgeable workers.

The concept of understanding the hazards of combustible dust was stressed on as it highlighted the differences of these hazards from one facility to the next. There were suggestions that there should be precise guidelines for specific industries based on the production equipment used, dust types and types of building envelopes. One expert who was present at the forum suggested that OSHA should not rely on one set of rules to regulate all levels of the explosive-dust related industry.

If this concept is taken up then we should expect even more changes. On the other hand, these alterations will be industry specific to ease the costs and hours spent implementing them. In the end, this is an impressive step towards more accessible OSHA guidelines.