OSHA has released a memo to address the classification of combustible dusts under the new HazCom standard. OSHA's HazCom standard was revised in March 2012, at which point it became aligned with the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). GHS does not contain a classification for combustible dust hazards, so OSHA amended the definition of "hazardous chemical" to include combustible dust in its HazCom standard.
The memo clarifies that where there is evidence that a product has been involved in a deflagration or dust explosion event, it should be classified as a combustible dust. Additionally, when results of accepted tests are available for a product, it should be classified in accordance with those results. When test data is unavailable and the product has not been involved in a deflagration or explosion event, manufacturers and importers may use published test data on similar materials or use information on particle size to determine the product's combustible dust hazard.
Read the complete memo here.
A Blog From the American Society of Safety Engineers