Recommended reading.

It is not often that I recommend a government publication for reading, but the recent report on the West Pharmaceutical explosion should be a must read for rubber product manufacturers. This 80-page report, authored by the the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), is a real eye-opener into a tragic incident, caused by, until now, a most unlikely source, dust.

By the nature of its business, supplying the medical industry with rubber drug delivery components, West Pharmaceutical's operations in Kinston, NC, would be considered clean. And it was. The CSB report said "... the cleanliness of the facility was a high priority. Management focused on the extent and effectiveness of housekeeping in working areas, and the effort was a matter of facility pride." Inspectors had just examined the plant weeks before the explosion on January 29, 2003, that killed six and injured 38. The CSB determined that accumulated polyethylene dust above a suspended ceiling fueled the explosion. Dust is also suspected as the cause of the 2002 explosion at the Rouse Rubber facility in Vicksburg, MS, that killed five and injured seven others. There have been four other dust explosions at U.S. manufacturing sites since 1999, killing 17 and injuring another 67 people.

The CSB thoroughly investigated West's rubber processing operation. They checked the maintenance, the safety and health procedures and the MSDS documentation for the materials handled. They determined the company was lacking in some areas of housecleaning, training and information that mostly dealt with the hazards of dust accumulation.

But the CSB couldn't place all the blame on West because the dangers of dust accumulation are just being learned. The company basically followed most regulations. The CSB found that there is very little Federal guidance on this hazard. After the West explosion, they published a two-page document summarizing the hazards of combustible dust which refers to sections of the National Fire Code and National Electric Code.

West Pharmaceutical's operation in Kinston is not an atypical rubber manufacturing site. It would behoove all product manufacturers to access this report at http://www. csb.gov/completedinvestigation/doc/CSBWestReport.pdf.