OSHA Seeks Comment on Hazardous Combustible Dust Standard

Occupational Safety and Health Administration is taking steps to develop a standard to address the hazards of combustible dust.

OSHA announced it will publish an advance notice of proposed rulemaking in the Oct. 21 edition of the Federal Register.

The agency is seeking public comment on the proposed rules and people have 90 days to offer their suggestions on controlling combustible dust in the workplace.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in statement that it’s time for workers to stop dying in preventable combustible dust explosions.

An explosion at Imperial Sugar in Port Wentworth, Ga. killed 14 workers last year. More than 130 workers have died and more than 780 were injured in such explosions since 1980.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union applauded OSHA’s actions.