Blasting & Flyrock Awareness Recognizing the Hazards

1. Prevent injury to people Prevent damage to property • Blasting & Flyrock Awareness • Recognizing the Hazards

2. Blasting activities are carefully regulated by several governmental agencies.

3. Legal Standards • OSHA • 29 CFR Part 1910 - General Industry • 29 CFR Part 1926 - Construction • MSHA • 56.6000 - Metal & Non-Metal Mines • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms • DOT

4. Blaster Qualifications • Knowledge and Experience • Training • Physical Ability • Evidence of Competency

5. Basic Blasting Terminology • Blaster-in-Charge • Blasting Plan • Blast Area • Flyrock • Early-Warning Signal • Final-Warning Signal • All-Clear Signal

6. Rock blasting is the controlled use of explosives to excavate or remove rock. • It is a technique used most often in mining and civil engineering.

8. Blaster-in-Charge

9. Best Practices: • ensuring that all personnel have evacuated the blast area during shot firing; • using adequate blasting shelters for employees whose presence is required in the blast area • controlling and monitoring all entrances to the blast area; ensuring that the blast is properly designed, • drilled, and loaded; and • emphasizing education and training to enhance skill levels for implementation of engineering control techniques.

10. Weather Conditions

11. Conduct Pre-Blast Meeting • Review of weather conditions • Communicate number of holes • Calculate bags per hole • Discuss reasons to turn off electronic • devices • Review personnel location • Discuss stemming process • Discuss gas and fume releases • Remind those working alone to stay • in communication w/supervisor

12. Stemming

13. Blasting Shelter

14. Drilling Blast Holes

16. Storage of Explosives

17. Transport of Explosives

25. An example of a firing pattern which provides separate delay time for the blastholes and gives good fragmentation as well as good breakage.

27. Blast Area

29. Understanding Warning Signals & Signs

30. Two warnings are common… HOWEVER, some sites use only one signal!

31. Early-Warning Signal Every sites warning signals are unique!! • ___ minutes before shot is fired. • Warns holes have been loaded with explosives and prepared. • Means blast area is clear, guards have stopped traffic into area. • Blast crew inspects grounds to make sure no people or equipmen is in the blast area.

36. Final-Warning Signal • ___ minutes before firing. • Timing is different on each site. • Radio silence is necessary. • Guards will halt blast if they sight anyone in area.

37. All-Clear Signal • Blaster can't order the all-clear signal just yet. • The blaster must inspect the area to see if there are any misfires. • It may take minutes, hours or days to determine if there is a misfire. • Stay out until the All-Clear signal sounds.

38. Warning Signals • Be alert and share information • Know the blasting time, blast area and clearing procedure; and • Do not enter the blast area • until an “all-clear” signal is sounded.

39. Blast Logs - Recorded Evidence

41. The location of the blast within the permit area allows the regulator to verify the distance. • Know the location of the blast • Check the distance!! Permit Area 690 Feet Jones Residence North

43. Rock blasting in northern Ontario to make way for new highway upgrades. The six exposures were taken over a span of 3 seconds. This animation is displayed over 6 seconds.

46. Excavation crews working on sites involving blasting operations may be exposed to the hazards of undetonated charges during removal of blasted rock.

49. Optimum Depth A B C D E Flyrock is caused by a mismatch of the distribution of the explosive energy, geomechanical strength of rock mass, and confinement.