If you have operations that generate dust or you build dust-handling equipment, and especially if that dust is held in confined spaces, you should know and understand the explosion risk. Many types of dust, from aluminum to epoxy resin and corn, can and will explode if conditions are right.

Vents are one way of protecting against the damage an explosion can cause. If you design or use equipment incorporating vents you should know about NFPA 68.

There has been an increase in the development and deployment of battery energy storage systems (BESS) in recent years. In particular, BESS using lithium-ion batteries have been prevalent, which is mainly due to their power density, performance, and economical aspects. BESS have been increasingly used in residential, commercial, industrial, and utility applications for peak shaving or grid support. As the number of installed systems is increasing, the industry has also been observing more field failures that resulted in fires and explosions. Lithium-ion batteries contain flammable electrolytes, which can create unique hazards when the battery cell becomes compromised and enters thermal runaway. The initiating event is frequently a short circuit which may be a result of overcharging, overheating, or mechanical abuse. During the exothermic reaction process (i.e., thermal runaway), large amounts of flammable and potentially toxic battery gas will be generated. The released gas largely contains hydrogen, which is highly flammable under a wide range of conditions. This may create an explosive atmosphere in the battery room or storage container. As a result, a number of the recent incidents resulted in significant consequences highlighting the difficulties on how to safely deal with the hazard.