If you work in the food industry or at a food packing manufacturer, you already know how important dust collection is. In order to keep your facility up to date on health standards, it’s critical to ensure that all hygiene regulations are met to their proposed standards. At  Bisco Enterprise, our air purification experts understand how difficult it can be to maintain a contaminant-free facility, which is why we’re dedicated to providing the best in air purification and filtration systems for a variety of industries. In order to determine the best ways to optimize dust collection in your food processing facility, there are a few questions to ask yourself.

What Kind Of Dust Am I Collecting?

In order to properly determine the best type of dust collection system for your facility, ask yourself what kind of dust you’ll be collecting.

• How is dust created in your facility? 
• Is the dust wet, abrasive, or sticky? 
• How much dust does your facility generate each day? 
• Is it already a challenge to collect the dust with your current collection system? 
• What dust collection standards and regulations already exist for this process? 
• Are there certain areas of your facility where the dust collecting becomes inadequate?

If you need assistance choosing the best type of dust collection system for your workplace, contact the experts at Bisco Enterprise today. We’ll take the time to understand your unique collection needs before recommending the best dust collector for your business!

Choosing A Dust Collection System

With the large variety of dust collection systems available on the market today, it can be a challenge trying to decide which type of collection system is best for your facility. While many food manufacturing and production companies tend to ignore the benefits of an efficient dust collection system, investing in a collection system can save you time and money down the line.

What Is A Dust Collection System?

A dust collection system helps keep the air safe and contaminant-free by using vacuum pressure to suck hazardous air particles and debris through a filtration system. When it comes to food processing facilities, uncontrolled airborne contaminants can pose a risk to both the workers and the facility itself. When shopping for a dust collection system for your business, it’s critical to align the control techniques with the operational process and contaminant type. Some benefits to an efficient dust collection system include:

• The protection of worker’s health 
• Increased facility safety 
• Improved product quality 
• Regulatory compliance

The High Risk of Dust Exposure for Food Processing

The dust that accumulates from food processing facilities can post two major risks: health hazards and explosion hazards. Dust that is produced as a result of food production can have serious effects on the health of your employees. From skin conditions to occupational asthma, dust control is essential for maintaining workplace safety. A recent topic of widespread concern in the food processing industry also revolves around the prevention of combustible dust explosions.

How Do Combustible Dust Explosions Occur?

If you work in a food processing plant, you’re probably already aware of the risks of combustible dust explosions. In the layman’s terms, combustible dust is any fine material that has the ability to catch fire and explode when mixed with air. All fires need three elements:

1. Fuel to burn 
2. Oxygen 
3. Ignition source (heat, spark, etc.)

In the case of a dust explosion, two additional elements are needed.

• The dispersion of dust particles in the right concentration 
• Confinement of the dust clouds

When combustible dusts ignite, there are normally two explosions that occur. The first explosion, also known as the primary explosion, occurs when there is a dust suspension in a confined space. When this dust becomes airborne, it also ignites to create a second explosion which is normally more destructive than the first. In order for a combustible dust explosion to occur it must meet a number of conditions, including:

• The dust must be capable of being suspended in air
• Dust must be combustible and release enough heat when it burns to sustain fire
• The dust must have a particle size that is capable of spreading the flame
• An ignition source must come in contact with the dust suspension
• The surrounding atmosphere must contain sufficient oxygen levels to support and sustain the combustion
• There is some form of confinement that allows pressure to build

Preventing A Combustible Dust Explosion

Dust explosions can be extremely dangerous, often because they can trigger a domino effect of explosions. While these explosions can be a major risk to the health of your employees and the structural safety of your facility, there are a few things you can do to avoid them. In order to ensure you control the amount of dust in your food processing facility, be sure to:

• Implement a company wide program for hazardous dust inspections, testing and control
• Use the proper air filters and dust collection systems for your unique needs
• Rely on surfaces that are easy to clean and that won’t accumulate dust easily
• Inspect all areas of your processing structure for dust residue
• Utilize specialized vacuum cleaners that have been approved for dust collection

Even if a small amount of dust is present in your food processing plant, you still run the risk of an explosion. While there are several factors that can contribute to a combustible dust explosion, such as your current ventilation system, there are some proactive things you can do to lower the risk of an explosion at your workplace. In order to control these costly accidents from occurring in your facility, you can make sure to:

• Maintain all of your equipment adequately
• Control the amount of static electricity in your environment
• Maintain smoke, open flames and sparks
• Utilize separator devices to remove foreign materials capable of igniting
• Control mechanical sparks and friction

Browse Dust Collection Products

Bisco Enterprise is a leading provider of dust collection systems for a variety of food service industries. Whether you work in a food processing plant or a manufacturing company, our dust collection experts can help you choose the best collection system for your workplace. Contact us to learn more about our dust collectors today!