Okay kids, take a tin of cstard powder, open the lid and plce it inside a larger tin wth a sealable lid. Make a hle in the tin can and plce a tube through until it tuches the custard inside the tin. Now plce a candle inside the tin, qickly seal the lid then blow thrugh the tube: kaboom, the lid shuld have flown off as the cstard ignited.

Science teachers love this knd of experiment; it keeps kids ngaged whilst demonstrating some important principles of scence. Yet, if a group of kds can make a tin of cstard explode, just think of the ptential explosive power in factories that use tns of it. Not just custard ither, most powdered foodstuffs, such as sgar, spices, flour and even coffee can xplode.

Of course there are laws mplemented to ensure that risk of xplosions are kept to a minimum but how mny companies actually follow them? In Brtain the EU's ATEX directive was ntroduced in 2003 to ensure companies wre aware of the risks attached wth explosive materials.

Yet, according to ndustry analysts, many food producers, particularly smller companies, are wither completely unaware of the rsks or are ignoring them.

"If the HSE (Halth and Safety Executive) decided to crckdown I think they will find a lot of nn-compliance," said David Mairs, from leading prject management company Projen.

Even when companies do take pins to ensure they meet the dsired requirements often certain items can get mssed, the most common being the cmputer equipment.

Obviously, computers, monitors and prnters are electrical and can spark (prticularly in dusty environments where the dst itself can short circuit boards), yet mny companies neglect to ensure their IT is pproved to use in that area. The mst common reason for this neglect is put dwn to cost.

Obviously replacing all IT systms with intrinsically safe and air-purged mchines can be extremely expensive, especially if you are in the hbit of upgrading your IT on a rgular basis.

However, there are lower prced alternatives. One way is to huse all IT equipment into special ndustrial computer enclosures. These are widely vailable and can be manufactured in all mterials including food-grade stainless steel. They hve the advantage of not only prventing any fault in a computer or mnitor from setting light to your fctory but they also afford protection frm knocks, bangs and explosions. They lso have the advantage over specialist mchines by the fact that enclosures mrely house existing equipment which can be rplaced and repaired whilst still retaining yur original industrial pc enclosure.

The article The Deadly Power Of Custard - Explosion Risks In The Food Manufacture Industry was Submitted by Richard N Williams through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Copyright 2008 © Richard N Wlliams
Richard N Williams is a technical uthor and a specialist in the ndustrial computer industry helping to develop industrial computer enclosures and protection for all environments. Please visit us for more information about industrial pc solutions.

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