An explosion ripped through the New Cumberland A.L. Solutions titanium plant in West Virginia on December 9, 2010, fatally injuring three workers. The workers were processing titanium powder, which is highly flammable, at the time of the explosion.

KEY ISSUES:
• FEDERAL COMBUSTIBLE DUST OVERSIGHT
• HAZARD RECOGNITION & TRAINING
• LEARNING FROM PREVIOUS INCIDENTS

ROOT CAUSES:
1. AL Solutions did not mitigate the hazards of metal dust explosions through engineering controls, such as a dust collection system. Specifically, AL Solutions did not adhere to the practices recommended in NFPA 484 for controlling combustible metal dust hazards.

Image credit: CSB