When most companies think about cleaning work areas they are only paying attention to the visible spaces, but in most buildings there is a hidden airspace that needs to be cleaned as well. A clean ceiling my seem clean at first glance, but accumulate dust above can also create an explosion hazard. Cleaning dropped ceilings is an important step in making sure a building is clean and safe for employees.
Why Clean Dropped Ceiling?
Even though they are typically an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ issue, cleaning dropped ceilings is necessary because these areas are used for more than dead space. This area is hiding the building’s mechanical systems, structural elements, wires, ducts, and anything else that needed to be hidden away. In many cases, the area created by the dropped ceiling is a pathway for HVAC airflow, acting as an air plenum for the hot air return.
All of this air movement can combine with the other materials found above a dropped ceiling, such as insulation, firestopping, dust from construction, or manufacturing dust, to create a fire hazard. Since it is in an area that isn’t easily seen it can create this fire hazard even when the area below appears spotless.
Real Life Example
The West Pharmaceutical Services dust explosion in 2003 occurred because of dust buildup on the dropped ceiling tiles. The North Carolina plant manufactured plastic products for the medical industry, and large amounts of plastic dust had collected within the dropped ceiling; in some places it was up to half an inch thick. An unknown source caused a disruption of the dust, creating a duct cloud, and caused it to ignite, which led to an explosion that destroyed the building and killed 6 workers.
Even if your building doesn’t create explosion hazards like West Pharmaceutical Services, the dust collected above the ceiling tiles can create issues. The constant change in air pressure causes the tiles to lift and move, which can let the dirt fall into the space below, which causes health or quality control issues.
You don't necessarily need to work in a manufacturing facility in order to produce combustible dust. If cleaning dropped ceilings in your building needs to be professionally performed, contact a representative at Hughes Environmental to find out how we can help.
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Quality High Surface Cleaning Services
Hughes Environmental is a National Air Duct Cleaner’s Association (NADCA) certified company who has earned their prestigious “Outstanding Safety Award” every year that we’ve been in business.
We specialize in cleaning projects for commercial and industrial facilities, and we’re focused on safety. Our technicians are OSHA trained, experienced working on high surfaces, and we’re experts in combustible dust safety. Click here to find out if your facility’s dust could be combustible.
We are also a member of the National Fire Protection Association, the National Air Duct Cleaners’ Association, and the American Society of Safety Engineers. In addition, our technicians have been through OSHA 10- or 30-hour training and have Council-certified Indoor Environmentalists (CIE) and Council-certified Microbial Remediators (CMR) on staff.
