Combustible Dust Training Institute — Foundation Training

Build a Housekeeping Program That Actually Prevents Combustible Dust Explosions

Learn the best practices for minimizing dust accumulation, selecting effective cleaning techniques, and maintaining a safe, compliant facility — with expert guidance grounded in 35+ years of real-world process safety experience.

Led by Chris Cloney, PhD., PEng.

~90 Minutes of Training

12 Lessons + Assessment

Certificate of Completion Included

3 months access • Instant start

Save 33% — Limited Time

$399 $599

You save $200 USD

✓ 12 Expert-Led Video Lessons
✓ Housekeeping Program Design Framework
✓ Dust Accumulation Assessment Methods
✓ Final Assessment Quiz
✓ Certificate of Completion
✓ 3 Months Course Access

Secure checkout • Instant access

Questions? support@dustsafetyscience.com

The Risk Is Real

Is Dust Accumulation Putting Your Facility at Risk?

Dust accumulation is one of the most common — and most preventable — causes of combustible dust explosions. Secondary explosions, triggered when accumulated dust is disturbed by an initial event, are responsible for the majority of fatalities in combustible dust incidents. Yet many facilities rely on informal cleaning practices, inadequate frequencies, or equipment that redistributes rather than removes dust. Without a systematic housekeeping program, even well-protected facilities remain vulnerable.

This course gives you the knowledge to design, implement, and sustain a housekeeping program that genuinely reduces your facility's dust explosion risk — and satisfies NFPA 652, NFPA 660, and OSHA requirements in the process.

What You Will Gain

Practical Skills You Can Apply Right Away

Understand Fugitive Dust Hazards

Learn how dust accumulation leads to secondary explosions and flash fires, using real incident examples from sawmills, sugar refineries, pharmaceutical plants, and metal processing facilities.

Assess Accumulation Against NFPA 660

Apply prescriptive layer thickness requirements and alternative calculation methods from NFPA 660 to determine when your facility's dust levels exceed acceptable thresholds.

Select the Right Cleaning Methods

Understand when to vacuum, sweep, use water washdown, or avoid blow-down — and how to apply each method safely without creating new explosion hazards.

Build a Compliant Program

Design and document a housekeeping program with defined frequencies, cleaning goals, audit procedures, and blow-down requirements that satisfy NFPA 652, NFPA 660, and OSHA expectations.

Course Curriculum

Inside the Training Program

Twelve structured lessons cover everything from accumulation assessment to program design, cleaning technique selection, and regulatory compliance.

Section 1: Understanding Fugitive Dust Hazards

Elements of a Dust Safety Program

How housekeeping fits within the broader framework of a complete dust safety program, including prevention, mitigation, and isolation layers.

Example Dust Explosion Incidents

Real-world explosion incidents at sawmills, sugar refineries, and pharmaceutical plants where inadequate housekeeping was a contributing factor.

Example Flash Fire Incidents

Fatal flash fire incidents caused by fugitive dust accumulations, including iron dust and corn starch events with lessons for your facility.

Section 2: Assessing Fugitive Dust Hazards

Dust Cleaning Requirements in NFPA 660

Overview of the NFPA 660 housekeeping framework, including hazardous area classification, layer depth equations, and program requirements.

Chapter 7.3.4 and X.7.3.4 Requirements

Detailed walkthrough of the NFPA 660 assessment requirements for buildings that could contain dust, oxygen, ignition sources, and dispersion.

Prescriptive Layer Thickness Requirements

Material-specific accumulation thresholds for grain, metal, sulfur, wood, and other dusts — and how to apply them in your facility assessments.

Alternative Layer Thickness Calculations

When and how to use layer depth equations, mass methods, and documented risk assessments to adjust accumulation thresholds beyond prescriptive limits.

Section 3: Implementing Housekeeping Programs

Housekeeping Requirements

Documented program requirements under NFPA 660, including risk assessments, PPE, equipment selection, cleaning sequence, and frequency planning.

Cleaning Methods

Vacuuming, sweeping, water washdown, and vacuum trucks — when each method is appropriate and how to select based on dust characteristics and quantity.

L10

Requirements for Blow-Down

The risks of compressed air blow-down, when it may be permitted, and the specific NFPA 660 conditions that must be met before blow-down is used.

L11

Housekeeping Frequency & Goals

Setting cleaning frequencies and accumulation goals, unscheduled cleanup requirements, auditing and documentation, and the benefits of staying below threshold levels.

L12

Other Tips & Design Features

FM Global recommendations for contrasting paint colors, "Clean Enough" markings, and facility design features that make housekeeping faster and more auditable.

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Certificate of Completion

Complete all lessons and pass the final assessment to earn your certificate of completion, awarded through the Dust Safety Academy platform.

Meet Your Instructor

Learn From Industry-Leading Experts

Lead Instructor

Chris Cloney, PhD., PEng.

Managing Director, Dust Safety Science • Co-Founder, CDTI

Chris Cloney has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and a PhD in chemical engineering studying the physics and chemistry of dust explosions. Over the past decade he has worked with hundreds of companies and safety professionals around the world, sharing dust safety lessons through podcasts, webinars, and in-person training programs. He is the founder of Dust Safety Science and co-founder of the Combustible Dust Training Institute.

Co-Instructor

Michelle Murphy, M.S., CCPSC

President, Mica LLC • Co-Founder, CDTI

Michelle Murphy is a seasoned chemical engineer and process safety expert with over 25 years of consulting experience. She founded Mica, LLC to help manufacturing facilities identify and manage combustible dust and reactive chemical hazards. Her expertise spans dust hazard analysis, combustible dust testing, process safety program development, and emergency relief system design across food, agriculture, chemicals, metals, and pharmaceuticals. Michelle holds an M.S. in chemical engineering from Clarkson University and is a Certified Process Safety Professional (CCPS).

Why CDTI

World-Class Training Built on 35+ Years of Real-World Expertise

Expert-Led Training

Our instructors have over 35 years of experience in industrial safety, consulting for leading safety organizations and contributing directly to NFPA and OSHA standards development.

Practical and Actionable

Our training goes beyond theory to deliver practical solutions you can implement immediately. Learn to identify hazards and protect your facility with real-world strategies that work.

Trusted by Industry Leaders

CDTI training has been trusted by companies in manufacturing, grain, chemical, and energy sectors to reduce risk and ensure compliance. Join the ranks of professionals protecting their teams.

Evidence-Based Curriculum

Every lesson is rooted in peer-reviewed research, global incident data, and 35+ years of combined real-world expertise — not outdated textbooks or generic safety content.

3 Months Access

Enroll once and get 3 months of access to all course materials. Return to review lessons, reference cleaning frameworks, and stay current with evolving NFPA standards at your own pace.

Who This Course Is For

Built for the People Responsible for Facility Safety

EHS ManagersFacility ManagersPlant ManagersMaintenance SupervisorsOperations ManagersSafety ConsultantsCompliance OfficersIndustrial Hygienists

Enroll Today

Everything Included in the Course

Save 33% — Limited Time Offer

$599.00 USD

$399

You save $200 — Enroll before this offer expires

✓ 12 Expert-Led Video Lessons
✓ Housekeeping Program Design Framework
✓ Accumulation Assessment Methods
✓ Real-World Case Studies
✓ Final Assessment Quiz
✓ Certificate of Completion
✓ 3 Months Full Course Access

Trusted by safety professionals in manufacturing, grain, chemical, wood, and energy sectors worldwide.