Economy

Dust is, indeed, a very pervasive issue, but there have been both engineering and procedural solutions to doing it safely for 40-50 years. At least.
I've done work in several powder product plants and the good ones are meticulous about how they abate dust issues. Others, not so much.
This situation is obviously in the "not so much" category. A $35k fine seems a little light to me.
Just one example of what can happen with dust control issues is this. I drove by this plant several times before the incident. It's near Savannah, GA.
Dust abatement sloppiness resulted in a massive explosion that killed or injured over 50 people.
https://www.csb.gov/imperial-sugar-company-dust-explosion-and-fire/
By contrast, i was at a site that dealt with powdered enzymes and they had someone on every shift whose job was a ride a scissor jack across the process floor and keep dust from building up on the beams that held the roof up. 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.