WASHINGTON -- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) earlier initiated rulemaking to develop a combustible dust standard for general industry. OSHA intended to use information gathered, including from an upcoming SBREFA panel (small business forum), to develop a comprehensive standard that addresses combustible dust hazards.

OSHA recently announced it is withdrawing this entry from the agenda at this time due to resource constraints and other priorities.

ARTICLE Combustible dust may have caused lumber mill explosion Combustible dust may have caused an explosion at Furniture Wood Inc.

OSHA started the rulemaking process to develop a combustible dust standard for general industry in 2009. Combustible Dust, Advance notice of proposed rulemaking, OSHA Federal Register, 74:54333-54347, was dated October 21, 2009.

Moving away from some of the potential workplace safety rules was seen as part of the Trump administration’s move toward deregulation.

In correspondence with Woodworking Network, Jamison Scott of Air Handling Systems said that even though OSHA will not be taking any immediate action on a new standard the industry will still have NFPA’s voluntary consensus standards that can be used by OSHA inspectors.

Scott has been a frequent speaker on combustible dust, and spoke on the topic twice last week at AWFS Fair.