Analysis of the Common Ignition Sources in the Milling Industry

In the summer of 2007, in Fossano, Italy, one of the most catastrophic and famous dust explosions in Italy, caused by flour dust, occurred in Molino Cordero, a historic cereal milling and flour storage plant. The explosion happened during the pneumatic unloading operation of a tank truck, previously accidentally overfilled. Five people lost their lives, and the building was partially destroyed by the powerful explosion. The forensic reconstruction and investigation of this accident were carried out years after the explosion. This paper has presented an assessment of the main potential ignition sources that can be expected in a flour mill, taking into account the typical equipment that is normally installed in this process. The target is to provide the employer and the users of flour mill plants with basic information that can be helpful in carrying out the specific explosion risk assessment, necessary for every single process. Possible improvements, which could be implemented to reduce the risk of explosion to a tolerable level, will be highlighted.