Incident commanders should be aware that increasing ventilation within a compartment that contains dust as a combustible material may affect the atmosphere. Opening access or vision panels increases the possibility of dust entering the atmosphere in explosive quantities and should not be undertaken until a risk assessment for this activity and a safe system of work aimed at preventing an explosive atmosphere being formed and mitigated is implemented, for example, by using covering sprays on openings.
Reduce the potential for a dust explosion
Control Measure Knowledge
For a dust explosion to occur, the dust and air must be within a certain range of concentrations and exposed to an ignition source. Mixtures above or below this range cannot explode. The risk of an explosion can be reduced by taking measures to eliminate all ignition sources in high-hazard areas. Wherever possible, unaffected bulk solids should not be disturbed by fire service activities. At incidents where a combustible dust cloud is unavoidable, measures such as suppression with inert gases or water sprays should be considered as part of the incident plan.