“Grain Silo Collapses Causing Combustible Dust Explosion In Indiana” #CombustibleDust

Note: Video Contains Language NSFW

This is why awareness of Combustible Dust Is SO Important!!

Around 1 p.m. on Monday, July 31, 2017, Jordan White posted a video to Facebook. Since then, it has been viewed by more than a million times.

An overhead tank filled with more than 10,000 bushels of corn collapsed as the bin was being unloaded into a truck. The bin took out a power-line and the grain dust and electrical spark created a fireball that caused extensive damage.

“We’re really not sure at this time what caused it,” said Steve White of White Farms, father of Jordan White. “We suspect it may have been a problem with the steel of the grain bin.”

White said the structure was only five years old.

“When that explosion happened… we got a lot of extensive damage,” White said. “It sent a 180-foot wave that went up to the pipes of the leg… all kinds of electrical damage. We’ve got a mess.”

White Farms is located near Switz City.

More than corn was lost in the collapse–the loss of this bin could be detrimental to the upcoming harvest if it is not replaced immediately.

“That was our wet tank, so everything we bring in here goes through that bin,” White said. “We have to get that bin back and get our leg back, so we’re looking at a huge cost to replace this.”

An appraiser was on-site at White Farms in the evening creating a bid to replace the grain bin.

“We’re hoping we can get this thing back up and running before harvest,” White said. “But we’re pretty self-sufficient. We’ll take care of it.”

Read the rest of the story here.

Grain Bin & Combustible Dust Safety Resources

U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

Other Federal Resources

State Resources

  • Combustible Dust. Oregon Hazard Alert, OR-OSHA 2993, (June 2008).
  • Combustible Dust Explosion Hazards. Kentucky Department of Labor Hazard Alert.
  • Combustible Dust Poses a Dangerous, Explosive Threat in the Workplace [PDF]. NCDOL Industry Alert.

Books

  • Development and Control of Dust Explosions (Occupational Safety and Health). John Nagy, Marcel Dekker Inc., ISBN 0-8247-7004-8.
  • Dust Explosions in the Process Industries. Eckhoff, Rolf K., Elsevier Science, ISBN 0-7506-7602-7.
  • Dust Explosion Prevention and Protection: A Practical Guide. Katherine Barton, Gulf Publishing Company, ISBN 0-7506-7519-3.

Combustible Dust Awareness Training – OSHA

https://www.osha.gov/dte/grant_materials/fy08/sh-17797-08/combustible_dust.ppt   Title: Combustible Dust Training PPT. Program

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