Flour explosions are typically caused by the build-up of flour particulates over time. The danger lies when airborne flour dust comes into contact with a spark from an ignition source, such as a faulty wiring circuit, which ignites the flour in the air. Fast and reliable early detection of the ignition process is critical in flour and grain mills. Fire must be detected at each stage of production including cleaning processes, waste disposal, grain blending, milling, coating and addition of additives and supplements, packaging and storage, bulk transportation, and shipping containers.

Flour dust explosions can cause catastrophic events ranging from equipment damage to loss of life and injury.