OnAire with SonicAire

Can combustible dust explosions actually be prevented? In this episode of the OnAire Podcast, Jordan and Taylor sit down with Dr. Kingsly Ambrose of Purdue University to talk about combustible dust explosions, grain facility safety, fugitive dust, and what manufacturers can do to reduce risk. Dr. Ambrose studies particle technology and dust explosions and compiles annual data on combustible dust incidents. His goal is one we can all get behind: reaching a year with zero explosions, zero injuries, and zero deaths. But getting there takes more than equipment.
🔥 *What is one of the most important ways to prevent a combustible dust explosion?* Start by keeping the facility clean. Dr. Ambrose explains that preventing deposited and suspended dust from building up is a critical first step. From there, facilities need employee and contractor training, warning systems, explosion protection, and a safety culture where unusual noises, smells, or other warning signs are never ignored.

Safety works best when it is more than a priority. It needs to be part of how your plant operates every day. In Episode 19 of the OnAire Podcast, Senior Explosion Safety Consultant Kevin Jeffries shares lessons from 30 years in EH&S, including firsthand experience with facilities impacted by major explosions. He explains why combustible dust safety starts with understanding real-world risk, listening to the people doing the work, and designing processes that make the safe choice the easy choice. The conversation explores safety culture, dust explosion prevention, leadership, and why EH&S should be a partner in production, not just the department called when something goes wrong.

What can more than 15 years and over 1,000 industrial dust control fan installations teach you about combustible dust housekeeping?
In this episode of the OnAire Podcast, Jordan and Taylor sit down with Darrell Cloudt of Energy Solutions of Texas, one of the most experienced SonicAire installers in the world. From wood products and plastics to grain processing and food manufacturing, Darrell has seen firsthand what works, what doesn't, and what manufacturers often overlook.
They discuss why overhead dust is usually worse than plant teams expect, why pre-cleaning is critical to long-term success, and how communication between contractors and facility teams can make or break an installation. Darrell also shares stories from challenging projects, including towering grain facilities, hazardous Class II Division 1 environments, and facilities where preventive maintenance made the difference between reliable performance and costly downtime.
Whether you're a plant engineer, maintenance manager, operations leader, or EH&S professional, this conversation is full of practical advice you can apply in your facility today.
In this episode:
• Why combustible dust is often hiding where no one is looking• The importance of pre-cleaning before installing a dust control system• Common installation mistakes and how to avoid them• Why preventive maintenance protects your investment• Lessons learned from more than 1,000 industrial fan installations• How facilities improve housekeeping without increasing labor
Featured Quote:"It's a lot worse than you think it is. Every time you do a startup, they realize you were right."
Learn more about SonicAire's engineered dust control solutions:👉 https://www.sonicaire.com

The grain industry has a dust problem — and according to Feed & Grain editor Steven Kilger, it’s completely preventable.
In this episode of the OnAire Podcast, we sit down with Steven Kilger, Managing Editor of Feed & Grain magazine, to talk about the real challenges facing grain and feed facilities today:
Combustible dust hazards
Labor shortages
Grain storage limitations
Automation and AI in agriculture
Why do preventable accidents still happen
The future of feed & grain operations
Steven brings a unique perspective as someone who has spent more than a decade covering the grain industry from the inside. From dust explosions and housekeeping challenges to the future of technology in agriculture, this conversation dives deep into the realities manufacturers and processors are facing right now.
If you work in grain handling, feed manufacturing, agriculture, or industrial dust control, this episode is packed with practical insight and honest conversation.
Subscribe for more conversations around combustible dust, industrial safety, manufacturing, and automation.
Learn more about SonicAire dust control solutions:
https://www.sonicaire.com
Connect with Feed & Grain:
https://www.feedandgrain.com

What causes combustible dust explosions, and how can manufacturers reduce their risk?
In this episode of the OnAire Podcast, Jordan and Taylor discuss the recent combustible dust explosion at a wood processing facility in Maine that resulted in multiple injuries and the tragic loss of two first responders. The conversation explores why combustible dust remains a serious hazard across industries, including wood products, grain handling, and metal processing.
The hosts emphasize the importance of combustible dust hazard assessments (DHAs), proactive dust control strategies, and maintaining compliance with NFPA standards and OSHA regulations.
The episode also features SonicAire licensed electrician Alec Brenchley, who shares his journey into the electrical trade and explains how SonicAire's turnkey installation services help manufacturers simplify combustible dust mitigation projects. Alec discusses electrical compliance, classified locations, permitting, installation challenges, and how proper system design helps facilities maintain safe and compliant operations.
Topics Covered:
• Recent combustible dust explosion in Maine
• Why combustible dust incidents impact entire communities
• NFPA and OSHA combustible dust compliance
• What is a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA)?
• Electrical requirements for dust control systems
• Class II Division 1 and Class II Division 2 environments
• Turnkey dust control system installation
• Common challenges in industrial dust control projects
• How facilities can improve combustible dust safety
If you're searching for answers about combustible dust prevention, combustible dust compliance, industrial dust control systems, overhead dust accumulation, dust hazard analysis requirements, or how to reduce combustible dust explosion risks, this episode provides practical insights from industry professionals working in the field every day.
Learn more about fugitive dust control and combustible dust safety at http://www.sonicaire.com.

In this episode, we break down the real combustible dust explosions that happened in 2025 and 2026—and the hard lessons every facility needs to learn from them.
These aren’t old case studies.
These are recent incidents in grain, biofuel, and metal facilities—some resulting in injuries, fatalities, and devastating damage.
The truth?
Most of these events were preventable.
 
🔍 What We Cover:
The 2025 grain dust explosion report (7 incidents, injuries up, fatalities up)
Real incidents across:
Grain elevators
Feed mills & biofuel plants
Metal dust facilities
 
What caused them:
Overheated bearings
Equipment maintenance failures
Smoldering material
Unknown ignition sources
Why small and mid-sized facilities are increasingly at risk
A recent North Carolina explosion and what we know so far
 
Dust accumulation + ignition source = explosion risk
Even with dust collectors and cleaning crews in place, fugitive dust still escapes and builds up in overhead areas, where it becomes the most dangerous.
 
The Key Lesson: Prevention Beats Reaction
 
Many facilities rely on:
Dust collection systems
Manual cleaning
Scheduled maintenance
But these are often reactive rather than preventive.
 
That’s why more facilities are turning to engineered housekeeping solutions like Dynamic Particle Control (DPC), which continuously prevents dust from accumulating in the first place.
 
Why This Matters
Behind every incident is a real cost:
Lives lost
Families impacted
Teams forever changed
 
And the hardest part is that we know how to prevent these events.
 
What You Can Do Next
 
If you’re responsible for plant safety, operations, or maintenance:
Take a hard look at your housekeeping strategy
Don’t rely on dust collection alone
Make sure your facility is truly compliant and protected
 
Learn More About Preventing Dust Explosions
Visit 👉 https://www.sonicaire.com
 
Get a free facility evaluation and see how you can eliminate fugitive dust risks before they become incidents.
 
👍 If This Helped:
Like & Subscribe for more real-world dust safety insights
Share this with someone responsible for plant safety
 
Because the next incident doesn’t have to happen.

What does it take to build a company that helps prevent combustible dust disasters—not just clean up after them?
In this special episode of OnAire, Taylor switches chairs and puts the spotlight on Jordan, SonicAire’s President and Owner, to share the story behind the mission.
Jordan grew up in Reidsville, North Carolina, with grease under his fingernails—learning to fix machines the old-school way. That curiosity led him to mechanical engineering at NC State… then into forensic engineering, where he investigated real fires and explosions. From there, he worked at Underwriters Laboratories (UL) testing safety-critical equipment like firefighter rescue gear.
Then came the turning point: Jordan joined SonicAire (15 years ago) and moved from “showing up after the incident” to helping customers prevent incidents in the first place.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
How SonicAire evolved from “Fan 1.0” to a stronger product and broader industries
The hard truth about culture—and how SonicAire went from toxic → healthy → flourishing
Why proactive service matters (install, repair, PM programs)
What it means to lead with people first—and stay aligned as the company grows
Where SonicAire is headed next (hint: more impact, more customers helped)
If you’re asking questions like:
“How do we prevent combustible dust risk, not just react to it?”
“How do we grow without losing our culture?”
“What does real safety leadership look like?”
…this episode is for you.
👉 Learn more about SonicAire and how we help facilities reduce dust accumulation risk: sonicaire.com
#CombustibleDust #ManufacturingSafety #IndustrialSafety #SafetyCulture #Leadership #UL #OSHA #NFPA #DustControl #SonicAire #OnAirePodcast

In this episode of OnAire, we kick off 2026 with a powerful conversation with Travis Davis, Operations Manager at a major grain elevator in Kansas. Travis shares how he helped develop and implement SonicAire’s first-ever Class II Division 1 certified fan for hazardous grain environments.
If you’ve ever wondered:
“Can a fan really help with dust in a grain elevator?”
“Why hasn’t the grain industry adopted new dust solutions?”
“How do I reduce manual housekeeping and increase uptime?”
…this episode is for you.
Hear Travis’s honest take on:
How he helped push SonicAire to innovate for grain
What it took to get internal buy-in for something new
The real-world results they’re seeing after installation
Why his crew now takes their dust-free environment for granted (and that’s a good thing)
SonicAire’s fans are a proven technology in textiles, wood, paper, and now — thanks to people like Travis — agriculture. If you’re in grain handling or ag processing and fighting the uphill battle against dust, you’ll want to hear this.
🔧 Learn more at SonicAire.com
🎧 Subscribe for more industry stories, safety breakthroughs, and everything dust-related.

Featuring: Jana and Mark from Osprey, SonicAire’s trusted European partners in engineered dust control.
 
The Big Idea:
Fans don’t always create dust clouds.
SonicAire fan systems prevent them.
 
In this international episode of the OnAire Podcast, we sit down with our partners from Osprey, based in France, to explore a powerful truth: combustible dust control is misunderstood by regulators, insurers, and even safety professionals on both sides of the Atlantic.
 
Who Should Watch This Episode:
Fire marshals and local AHJs
Safety officers, plant managers, and EHS leaders
Insurance auditors and risk assessors
Professionals in grain, feed, wood, tobacco, paper, recycling, and other high-risk industries
 
What You’ll Learn:
1. US vs. Europe: Two Compliance Worlds, One Shared Challenge
In the US, OSHA and NFPA (especially NFPA 652) guide combustible dust standards. In Europe, ATEX regulations govern explosive environments, but insurance companies often enforce standards more aggressively than local authorities. Across both regions, misunderstandings about fan-based dust control are common—and costly.
2. The Myth: Fans Stir Up Dust and Make Things Worse
Some AHJs and insurers assume that fans increase fire and explosion risk by stirring up dust. In reality, SonicAire fans prevent dust accumulation in overhead and hard-to-clean areas by maintaining continuous airflow barriers. The result: no build-up, no dust clouds, no shutdowns.
3. The Reality: Fans Reduce Risk, Improve Compliance, and Restore Coverage
Osprey shares how European customers—especially in wood and paper industries—have been able to: Avoid insurance cancellations Reduce costly manual cleanings Achieve ongoing OSHA and ATEX compliance Prevent secondary explosion hazards with cleaner overheads
4. What Happens When Insurers or Fire Marshals Say “No” to Fans
This episode walks through real scenarios where inspectors shut systems down—only to reverse their decisions after being educated on how SonicAire fans work. With the right documentation, the conversation shifts from “this looks risky” to “this solves our problem.”
5. What Documentation is Available for Regulators and Insurers?
SonicAire provides:
Fan compliance letters
Documentation that aligns with NFPA 662, Class II Div 1 and Div 2 ratings, and ATEX 22 certification
Reference sites and real-world case studies to support approvals
 
Why This Episode Matters
If you're a regulatory official, insurance decision-maker, or plant safety leader, and you’ve ever questioned the role of fans in a combustible dust environment, this conversation is essential. The idea that “fans cause dust clouds - not control them” is a myth. And in today’s risk-averse world, myths can lead to missed opportunities, higher costs, and increased hazards.
 
Watch This Podcast to Learn:
Who thinks their compliance guidelines are tougher, the US or Europe?
How insurance companies in Europe now recommend SonicAire systems.
What makes NFPA/OSHA and ATEX perspectives similar—and different.
Why prevention always beats reaction when it comes to dust compliance.
How Osprey and SonicAire partner to help facilities educate regulators, retain insurance, and protect people
 
🎧 Listen now: sonicaire.com/on-aire-podcast 📩
Need help talking to an AHJ or insurer? Contact our compliance team.
 
This isn’t just another safety podcast. It’s a direct conversation with the people who’ve seen the misconceptions—and fixed them.

Can universities help prevent industrial explosions?
In this episode of the OnAire Podcast, we sit down with Jonathan McPherson, an industry educator and dust safety expert from Kansas State University’s Powder & Bulk Solids Lab, to talk about real-world challenges in dust collection, fugitive dust, and how education is bridging the gap between theory and plant-floor reality.
 
🔎 Whether you're a safety manager, plant engineer, or facilities director, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. We cover:
✅ What’s really happening with bulk solids and dust in today’s facilities
✅ Why even the best dust collection systems can’t do it all
✅ The role of Dynamic Particle Control in proactive housekeeping
✅ How SonicAire’s technology is transforming dust safety compliance
✅ The future of smart manufacturing & air quality monitoring
✅ Personal stories from the plant floor—and the farm!
 
📌 Key Takeaways:
Fugitive dust is everyone’s problem – even in your garage.
Education is catching up with what industry truly needs.
Proactive dust control saves money, time, and lives.
SonicAire fans help prevent fires, reduce labor, and improve air quality.
 
🧠 Why it Matters: You want a safer, cleaner, more efficient facility. But fugitive dust puts that at risk every day. In this episode, Jonathan shares how industry leaders and educators are partnering to create real solutions that work—today and tomorrow. You can be the hero of your facility's dust control story.
 
🔥 Want to Learn More?
Visit https://www.sonicaire.com to see how our engineered dust control fans can:
Eliminate overhead dust
Reduce cleaning costs
Improve OSHA and NFPA compliance
Make your plant safer and healthier
 
🎧 Listen. Learn. Lead. Subscribe to the OnAire Podcast for more industry conversations that matter.