Summary
In short
- A combustible dust assessment is an assessment used in KnowSafe that assesses whether dust from flour, powders, sugar or packaging can accumulate and ignite, and what controls exist. It is built against ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 and forms part of the Machine Safety programme.
- Carried out where powders are handled. Completed by a competent assessor.
- The template holds 55 fields across 6 sections.
- Scoring is residual band, where low is good.
- ISO 45001 is occupational health and safety management systems. The international standard for managing worker health and safety. Certifiable, and the backbone of most of this library.
- It connects to the rest of the library: links Fire risk, Housekeeping, DSEAR.
What it is
What it is
What is a combustible dust assessment?
A combustible dust assessment is an assessment used in KnowSafe that assesses whether dust from flour, powders, sugar or packaging can accumulate and ignite, and what controls exist. It is built against ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2 and forms part of the Machine Safety programme.
When is a combustible dust assessment completed?
A combustible dust assessment is completed when the task, area or population being assessed is new or has materially changed. Carried out where powders are handled.
When to use it
When to use it, and when not to
This assessment is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use it for
- The event or activity this assessment covers has occurred, or is about to
- The workspace is being set up, or the register needs an entry added or retired
- You are running the Machine Safety programme and this is one of its steps
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links fire risk, housekeeping, dsear
Not for
- Robot and Automation Safety Assessment, which assesses collaborative and caged robotic cells for safeguarding, speed and separation, teach mode and recovery from fault.
- Conveyor and Transfer Safety Review, which reviews an entire conveyor line for nip points, pull cords, crossovers, start warnings and jam clearing arrangements.
- Anything outside KnowSafe, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Standards
What it is built against
ISO 45001Occupational health and safety management systems
The international standard for managing worker health and safety. Certifiable, and the backbone of most of this library.
ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the combustible dust assessment template based on?+
It is built against ISO 45001 cl.6.1.2. ISO 45001 is occupational health and safety management systems. The international standard for managing worker health and safety. Certifiable, and the backbone of most of this library. ISO is international Organization for Standardization. A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.
What sections does the combustible dust assessment contain?+
There are 6 sections: header, material properties, where dust can form or accumulate, ignition sources, protection, outcome. Together they hold 55 fields, 37 of which are required.
How many combustible dust assessment records should we have?+
This is a singleton. One record per workspace, set up once and maintained, rather than one per event. Other templates refer back to it.
Which programme does the combustible dust assessment belong to?+
It is part of Machine Safety. Guard integrity verified, interlocks tested, and jam clearing controlled rather than improvised.
How is a combustible dust assessment scored?+
Scoring is residual band. Low is good. Scores exist to make the form tell you something, not to produce a percentage for its own sake.
Can the combustible dust assessment template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.
The agents
What the agents do with it
The form is the easy part. Keeping it current, routing it to the right owner and holding the evidence together is the work that actually slips.
Holds the combustible dust assessment library against your registers, routes each record to its owner, and keeps the evidence trail together.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowSafe — safety and compliance. Incidents, hazards, permits, inspections and the critical controls behind them.
Meet KnowSafe→Sources
Sources
- ISO 45001 — Occupational health and safety management systems
- ISO — International Organization for Standardization