Combustible dust: awareness and communication as risk mitigation strategies
(2025) MAMM10 20242Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology
- Abstract
- Combustible dust is a widespread and often overlooked potential occupational safety hazard. Several technical solutions exist to counter this hazard, but the risk is still a continued occurrence. This master’s thesis investigates the organizational proactive risk mitigation strategies different organizations employ in this regard. This is done in two distinct subject areas: risk awareness and risk communication.
To understand more specifically how organizations deal with the hazards associated with combustible dust, a series of interviews were conducted with a risk consultant and two different companies specializing in two distinctly different market areas. The interviewees at these companies were of suitable background and possessed the... (More) - Combustible dust is a widespread and often overlooked potential occupational safety hazard. Several technical solutions exist to counter this hazard, but the risk is still a continued occurrence. This master’s thesis investigates the organizational proactive risk mitigation strategies different organizations employ in this regard. This is done in two distinct subject areas: risk awareness and risk communication.
To understand more specifically how organizations deal with the hazards associated with combustible dust, a series of interviews were conducted with a risk consultant and two different companies specializing in two distinctly different market areas. The interviewees at these companies were of suitable background and possessed the necessary knowledge to be in a position at the respective company to actively work with risk mitigation strategies.
Key findings indicate that despite a strong safety culture and proactive risk management systems in place, the risks of dust explosions tend to be underestimated, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Combustible dust is across the board just one of the many risks an organization may have to deal with. But by tailoring targeted messages to specific audiences, proactively working with hazard recognition and having an internal framework to manage reporting, an organization can come a long way in their risk mitigation strategies.
Altogether, the results show a necessity for a wide-reaching organizational risk mitigation effort that encompasses all from the fostering of an expansive positive safety culture to a hazard recognition system that can operate efficiently in a sometimes complex organization to successfully prevent dust explosions in the future. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9200390
- author
- Johansson, Erik LU
- supervisor
-
- Åsa Ek LU
- organization
- course
- MAMM10 20242
- year
- 2025
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- combustible dust, risk awareness, risk communication, risk perception, safety culture, organizational risk mitigation
- language
- English
- id
- 9200390
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-17 08:31:50
- date last changed
- 2025-06-17 08:31:50
@misc{9200390,
abstract = {{Combustible dust is a widespread and often overlooked potential occupational safety hazard. Several technical solutions exist to counter this hazard, but the risk is still a continued occurrence. This master’s thesis investigates the organizational proactive risk mitigation strategies different organizations employ in this regard. This is done in two distinct subject areas: risk awareness and risk communication.
To understand more specifically how organizations deal with the hazards associated with combustible dust, a series of interviews were conducted with a risk consultant and two different companies specializing in two distinctly different market areas. The interviewees at these companies were of suitable background and possessed the necessary knowledge to be in a position at the respective company to actively work with risk mitigation strategies.
Key findings indicate that despite a strong safety culture and proactive risk management systems in place, the risks of dust explosions tend to be underestimated, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Combustible dust is across the board just one of the many risks an organization may have to deal with. But by tailoring targeted messages to specific audiences, proactively working with hazard recognition and having an internal framework to manage reporting, an organization can come a long way in their risk mitigation strategies.
Altogether, the results show a necessity for a wide-reaching organizational risk mitigation effort that encompasses all from the fostering of an expansive positive safety culture to a hazard recognition system that can operate efficiently in a sometimes complex organization to successfully prevent dust explosions in the future.}},
author = {{Johansson, Erik}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Combustible dust: awareness and communication as risk mitigation strategies}},
year = {{2025}},
}