Combustible Dust Training Institute — Incident Breakdown

What Can Go Wrong: Lessons From the Corrigan, Texas Plywood Plant Explosion

A detailed incident breakdown examining a real combustible dust explosion at a plywood manufacturing facility — covering management failures, prevention system deficiencies, and the protection system gaps that turned a hazard into a tragedy.

Led by Chris Cloney, PhD., PEng.

~30 Minutes of Training

9 Lessons + Assessment

Certificate of Completion Included

3 months access • Instant start

Save 40% — Limited Time

$299 $499

You save $200 USD

✓ 9 Expert-Led Video Lessons
✓ Full Incident Timeline & Root Cause Analysis
✓ Management System Failure Analysis
✓ Prevention & Protection System Review
✓ Lessons Learned & Prevention Strategies
✓ Final Assessment Quiz
✓ Certificate of Completion
✓ 3 Months Course Access

Secure checkout • Instant access

Questions? support@dustsafetyscience.com

The Risk Is Real

Could the Corrigan Explosion Happen at Your Facility?

The Corrigan, Texas plywood plant explosion is a sobering example of how failures in management systems, prevention practices, and protection systems can combine to produce catastrophic outcomes. Wood dust — a highly combustible material present in virtually every wood processing facility — was the fuel. But the root causes ran much deeper: inadequate hazard awareness, insufficient housekeeping, missing or non-functional protection systems, and management practices that allowed known risks to go unaddressed. The lessons from Corrigan are directly applicable to any facility handling combustible wood dust.

This course takes you inside the Corrigan incident — examining what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what specific changes would have prevented it — so you can apply those lessons to your own facility before an incident occurs.

What You Will Gain

Lessons You Can Apply at Your Own Facility

Trace the Incident Sequence

Follow the full Corrigan event from a fire in the belt sander through the ducting ignition, suppression failure, abort gate activation, isolation damper failure, and the fatal explosion at the dust collector.

Identify Six System Failures

Understand the six specific failures that led to the fatalities: duct accumulation below design velocity, incorrect emergency response, insufficient spark suppression, isolation damper failure, oversized baghouse bags blocking vents, and an unsafe exclusion zone.

Apply Protection System Lessons

Learn how to correctly design and verify spark detection and suppression zones, abort and isolate systems, explosion venting configurations, and safe exclusion zones for dust collectors.

Prevent the Same Failures

Leave the course with a practical checklist of the management, prevention, and protection system gaps identified at Corrigan — and the specific corrective actions that would have prevented the incident.

Course Curriculum

Inside the Incident Breakdown

Nine focused lessons cover the full Corrigan incident — from wood dust hazards and management system failures to protection system gaps and actionable prevention strategies.

Investigation Background

Introduction to the Corrigan, Texas plywood plant explosion — facility context, the investigation source, and an overview of what went wrong.

Facility Layout

Detailed walkthrough of the belt sander system, three detect-and-suppress zones, blower, isolation damper, baghouse dust collector, rotary valve, vent panels, and abort gate layout.

Incident Sequence

Step-by-step timeline: fire in the sander, extinguished then sucked into ducting, blower cycled off and on, suppression insufficient, abort gate activated, explosion in exhaust stack, damper failure, explosion in dust collector, two workers fatally injured at the control panel.

Accumulation in Ducting

Failure #1: actual duct velocity of 3,768 ft/min was 500 ft/min below the 4,000 ft/min minimum, causing dust accumulation that fuelled the explosion.

Emergency Response Process

Failure #2: turning the blower off allowed the duct fire to grow; turning it back on reintroduced air and lifted the burning nest. NFPA 660 (2025) emergency procedure requirements reviewed.

Spark Detection & Suppression System

Failure #3: the water mist system was designed to use minimum water and was insufficient to suppress the larger burning nests that formed in the two detect-and-suppress zones.

Abort & Isolate System

Failure #4: the isolation damper was not designed correctly for a negative pressure system, allowing the explosion to enter the dust collector despite the abort gate activating correctly.

Venting System Design

Failure #5: 12-foot bags had been installed in a baghouse designed for 10-foot bags, partially blocking the vent during the explosion. NFPA 68 (2018/2025) acceptable filter configurations reviewed.

Safe Exclusion Zone

Failure #6: vent panels were hinged open on chains and the control panel was attached to framing directly below the dust collector — placing two workers in the vent discharge path.

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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 & Incident Analyst

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 calculations, and stay current with evolving safety standards at your own pace.

Who This Course Is For

Essential Training for Wood Processing and Manufacturing Professionals

EHS ManagersPlant ManagersWood Processing Facility OperatorsProcess Safety EngineersMaintenance SupervisorsDHA ConsultantsFire Protection EngineersInsurance Risk Engineers

Enroll Today

Everything Included in the Course

Save 40% — Limited Time Offer

$499.00 USD

$299

You save $200 — Enroll before this offer expires

✓ 9 Expert-Led Video Lessons
✓ Full Incident Timeline & Root Cause Analysis
✓ Management System Failure Analysis
✓ Prevention & Protection System Review
✓ Lessons Learned Checklist
✓ Final Assessment Quiz
✓ Certificate of Completion
✓ 3 Months Full Course Access

Trusted by safety professionals in wood processing, manufacturing, and industrial sectors worldwide.