



Chair: Robert G. Lee, President - Accushape Inc.

Co-Chair: Chris Jackson, Market Analyst - Retech Systems, LLC



Mission: To bring awareness to all items of safety when handling and working with titanium. All Members of the ITA are invited to participate in Safety Committee meetings at any time.

Objective: The committee provides an open forum for safety issues concerning titanium melting and powder.



Titanium and Combustible Metal Safety



At the TITANIUM USA 2013 Conference, Distinguished Speaker, Kevin Kreitman, Redding Fire Department Fire Chief provided a presentation on Titanium and Combustible Metal Safety. View a preview of Kevin's presentation here: Titanium and Combustible Metal Safety.



Metals in a combustible form including titanium, can present fire and explosion hazards. Improper handling of these materials in fire incidents, place personnel and responders at great risk, these risks however can be minimized through proper pre-planning, engineering, housekeeping, and training.



Preventive actions are important to minimizing potential fire and explosion hazards. Knowledge of the risks associated with the metal and the form it is in along with proper housekeeping will greatly reduce risks and likelihood of an incident.



Should an incident occur however, how the incident is handled is critical to a safe outcome. The proper handling of fires involving titanium and metals in a combustible form does not occur by happenstance. One of the most important items is to ensure that pre-planning with emergency responders on the risks and hazards associated with titanium and other metals in a combustible form has taken place prior to the incident, to ensure proper actions are taken in the handling of the emergency which is critical to a safe outcome.



Developing a close working relationship with the facility and working closely with facility personnel is a must to minimize risks for the facility and emergency responders. Incidents involving a fire at a titanium or other facility involving metals in combustible form may very well present additional risks based on the form of the material involved, such as powders, dusts, molten metal, as well as the potential involvement of chemicals that may be associated with the processing of the metal.



It is essential that facility personnel and emergency responders develop a close working relationship and policies and procedures to ensure the safe handling of incident should they occur. This presentation will provide a general overview of NFPA’s Combustible Metal Standard, the importance of housekeeping, and the proper handling of fires involving titanium and metals combustible form.



To view the entire 1 hour presentation, visit TITANIUM 2013 Conference Proceedings.







ITA Members should log into the ITA Members Only Section of the ITA Web Site to view meeting minutes and to join the group activities.

