Dust hazard analysis (DHA)

Combustible dust is a major fire, flash fire, and combustion hazard for a variety of industries, from food-and-beverage to wood pulp and paper. This is because the smaller a particle, the more likely it is to ignite, and combustible dusts are finely divided solids and therefore could ignite in the right conditions. These dusts can be found in most industries and come in many forms including (but not limited to): flours, grains, hops, sugars, charcoal, lactose, aluminum, rubber, wood and paper dust, etc.

A dust hazard analysis (DHA) is a study designed to evaluate the potential fire, flash fire, and explosion hazards associated with the presence of combustible dust. It identifies explosion risks and ignition sources, and provides recommendations for managing dust hazards and protecting facilities. Global Risk Consultants Corp. (GRC) provides comprehensive analysis of dust hazards to help you rest assured that your industrial assets and employees are safe.

Combustible dust fires and dust explosions can be catastrophic and lead to crippling property damage, loss of life, business interruption, and significant downtime that can cost millions. A dust hazard analysis is designed to protect your facility against combustible dust hazards. The 2023 Combustible Dust Incident Report from Dust Safety Science found that there were 263 fires, 53 dust explosions, 94 injuries, and 62 fatalities related to combustible dust around the globe.

Due to these reasons, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) and other regulatory bodies require a DHA. Companies that are aware of the risks and ensure regulatory compliance with standards such as NFPA 652 are more likely to prevent or manage an incident before it occurs.

GRC has dust hazard experts who can provide the most up-to-date and thorough assessments of your facility.

With GRC, you can be sure that you are not just responding to regulatory requirements, you are also providing and practicing the most effective and efficient dust fire mitigation strategies to keep your personnel and assets safe.

GRC pioneered unbundled loss control — independent risk assessments not tied to insurance. We offer expertise that is always independent and never bundled to underwriting.

You, not insurance companies, will own your data. That empowers you to take on more risk if you desire, helps you shop for appropriate insurance coverage, and negotiate premiums with confidence.

We provide sound, cost-effective fire protection engineering services to some of the world’s most successful businesses. Our worldwide engineers have spearheaded advances in fire protection by applying their in-depth expertise to developing new methods to address today’s escalating concerns. Some have even been instrumental in writing NFPA standards. We work with major insurance organisations, the engineering staff of global brokers, and the engineering departments of major industrial firms.

We perform thousands of inspections each year, varying on the unique property risk engineering requirements of our clients. They range from basic property reviews and short summary reports, to full “HPR (Highly Protected Risk)”-style inspections in which we operationally test all protective equipment and issue detailed narrative-style reports with COPE (i.e. construction, occupancy, protection, exposures) data supplements. With our help, you can develop a custom-tailored Fire Loss Prevention Service Plan.

A typical dust hazard analysis from GRC includes:

• A systematic review to identify and evaluate the potential fire, flash fire, and dust explosion hazards associated with the presence of one or more combustible particulate solids and ignition sources in a process or facility.
• Identification of dust accumulation hazards.
• Data collection for system and performance requirements.
• Advice for combustible particulate solids management, process hazard analysis, and documentation of all results in the DHA.