Bad housekeeping in any industry that uses flammable materials can go far beyond creating an image of a sloppily run, unprofessional operation. Bad housekeeping in any industry that uses flammable materials can go far beyond creating an image of a sloppily run, unprofessional operation.

What’s at Stake?

It only takes three basic requirements to create an explosion and poor housekeeping can supply all of them:

• Fuel – in the form of gas, vapor or dust
• An oxidizer – usually the oxygen in the air
• An ignition source

To form a potentially explosive atmosphere, the mixture of fuel and oxidizer must be within a particular concentration range, known as an explosive limit. Concentrations below the lower explosive limit (LEL) are too lean to burn, while those above the upper explosive limit (UEL) are too rich. Anything in-between might ignite or explode when an ignition source is present. The ignition needed to finish the equation can come from a variety of sources in the work area including static electricity, electrical sparks, chemical reactions and mechanical friction.

What Can Go Wrong

14 workers were killed in a series of dust explosions at a sugar plant. There were significant accumulations of combustible sugar dust throughout the facility that was not being cleaned up well. When too much sugar dust accumulated around an overheated bearing, it finally ignited. The advancing fireball created a chain reaction that swept through the building and devastated the facility.