2. Electrostatic accidentology

2.1 Statistics

The standard NF EN 1127-1 is perfectly clear: sparks from electrostatic discharges are a source of ignition. The standard describes thirteen recognized sources. While the frequency of electrostatic incidents and accidents in flammable gases and vapors is well established, the field of dusts deserves to be taken up and developed through published data and feedback. Statistics are also presented to show that electrostatic sparking is one of the main sources of dust explosion initiation, accounting for more than half the cases identified and recorded. It is therefore interesting to study these explosion statistics in detail. The data in table 1...