China issues guidelines on preventing combustible dust explosion

China has released the first national guidelines on preventing explosion of combustible dust at work places, the media reported on Friday.

The guidelines, issued by the State Administration of Work Safety, listed requirements on safety management at work sites with combustible dust, technical anti-explosion measures, dust removal technology and other key security requirements on equipment and facilities, the Global Times reported.

The guidelines resulted from bitter lessons learned from two deadly explosions and are aimed at preventing similar cases, according to an official with the administration.

A factory blast on August 2, 2014 gutted a wheel hub polishing workshop in Kunshan, Jiangsu province and left 146 people dead. Later, investigators found that the explosion followed the ignition of excessive metal dust in the workshop.

On June 27, a fire broke out at a water park in Taiwan during a party that saw a large amount of theatrical coloured powder ejected from a stage.

The powder caught fire before landing on the audience. Nearly 500 people were injured in the blaze. One person died in hospital.

The guidelines asked businesses to take precautions and improve their rules and regulations on protection against dust explosion.