Gyro Air Series FAQ: Are Harvey Gyro Air Series Dust Processors NFPA 660 Compliant?

This article is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as engineering, fire protection, legal, or code-compliance advice. Compliance with NFPA 660, local fire codes, OSHA requirements, insurance requirements, and other regulations depends on the specific installation, operating conditions, and facility environment. Customers are responsible for consulting the appropriate authorities and professionals regarding compliance requirements for their application.

Customers occasionally ask whether the Harvey GYRO AIR dust collectors comply with NFPA 660 requirements or whether additional explosion protection devices are required when collecting wood dust.

This article provides general information about NFPA 660 and how it relates to Harvey GYRO AIR dust collection systems.

NFPA 660 – Standard for Combustible Dusts and Particulate Solids is a standard published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). It consolidates several previous combustible dust standards into a single document, including standards that previously addressed woodworking dust collection systems.

The purpose of NFPA 660 is to help identify, evaluate, and reduce fire and explosion hazards associated with combustible dusts and particulate solids. Examples of combustible dust materials include:

Yes. Wood dust generated during sawing, sanding, routing, planing, and other woodworking operations may be considered combustible under certain conditions.

Because of this, commercial woodworking facilities may be subject to combustible dust requirements depending on:

NFPA 660 is not a product certification standard for dust collectors. Rather than certifying individual dust collectors, NFPA 660 addresses the overall dust collection system, facility design, risk assessment, and installation requirements.

As a result, compliance determinations are generally made based on the complete installation and operating environment rather than a single piece of equipment.

Harvey GYRO AIR dust collectors are designed as compact woodworking dust collection systems intended to collect wood dust generated by woodworking machinery. The GYRO AIR series does not incorporate:

Whether such devices are required depends on the specific application and applicable code requirements.

The GYRO AIR series is commonly used in:

Examples of machines the GYRO AIR series is used with include:

Requirements for combustible dust protection can vary significantly depending on the installation. A small dust collector serving one or two woodworking machines may be evaluated differently than a large centralized industrial dust collection system serving an entire production facility.

The following parties may have authority regarding combustible dust requirements:

For commercial installations, Harvey recommends consulting the appropriate authority to determine whether additional safeguards, risk assessments, or combustible dust evaluations are required.

Harvey recommends that customers: