Dust Kitties

So much more dust when furry creatures proliferate

Dust and Hair and Hair and Dust

At the center of the earth is a giant hairdust ball.

Sprinkler

I found this on the wall of a building on Adelaide Street. Possible it could keep the dust levels down?

sneezing at dirt

the sneeze tackles a gritty problem with panache.

not quite dust but a good post-dusty strategy.

the other queen of dust

summer dust up

Fan whirs 'round and 'round
Its blades gathering fine dust
Furry grey clumps form

a heavy dusting of sugar

Baltimore City firefighters respond to an explosion at the Domino Sugar plant on Key Highway. Sun photo by Kim Hairston / November 2, 2007

Baltimore firefighters look over damage on the top floor of one of the buildings at the Domino Sugar plant after an explosion in November 2007 blew out windows and ruined equipment. (Sun photo by Kim Hairston / November 2, 2007)

Domino fined $4,000 over '07 explosion
MOSHA notes buildup of sugar dust at refinery

By Gus G. Sentementes
Sun reporter
July 26, 2008

The Maryland Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Domino Sugar $4,000 for allowing sugar dust to accumulate in its refinery, which is believed to have caused an explosion last year at the Key Highway plant in South Baltimore, according to a state report.

The Nov. 2 explosion echoed across the harbor, and authorities said they suspected sugar dust might have ignited. Three employees suffered minor injuries, several pieces of equipment were destroyed and dozens of windows were shattered in the blast.

The plant's structure was not seriously damaged, but the report released to The Sun under the Public Information Act noted that there was "evidence of the massive pressure" exerted by the explosion that caused walls to crack and bend, and ceilings and floors to misalign.

The MOSHA report indicated state inspectors found that "employees were routinely unable to perform all the cleaning responsibilities" on equipment involved in milling sugar on three floors of the plant from April through October last year.

State investigators traced the source of the explosion to a failed bearing in one of the sugar mills. The heat buildup around the bearing ignited the sugar powder in the air and sent a "high-pressure combustion wave" through the plant's duct work, which left the plant as a "fire ball," the report states.

The report described how the explosion left a residue of "magma-like sugar several inches thick" covering the floors and stairs. Superheated air also ignited pallets of packing material and finished sugar products, the report states.

The explosion caused damage on four floors, and Domino Sugar officials said they expected to spend about $2.5 million to replace windows, the report states.

Domino's parent comapny, American Sugar Refining Inc., paid the $4,000 fine this year, the report states. In negotiations with MOSHA, officials with American Sugar said they would install three new sugar mills and new dust collectors, increase staff and develop a written housekeeping program as part of their efforts to prevent sugar-dust accumulation.

Officials at the sugar refinery did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun

a light dusting of sugar

Happy Birthday Sandra