The Coal and Other Safety-Lamp Mines (Explosives) Regulations 1993

Control of detonators and containers of detonators

11.—(1) A person shall not have charge of a container of detonators unless he is–

(a) a shotfirer;

(b) a trainee shotfirer;

(c) a person authorised in writing by the manager for that purpose; or

(d) a person present for the purpose of–

(i) examining defective or deteriorating detonators, or

(ii) giving specialist technical advice about detonators,

and competent to handle same.

(2) No person except a person mentioned in paragraph (1) shall open any container of detonators or handle any detonator.

(3) A person who is at a place other than an explosives store shall not remove a detonator from a container unless the detonator is required immediately–

(a) for priming a cartridge; or

(b) for checking.

(4) A shotfirer or trainee shotfirer who has been issued with a container of detonators shall, throughout his period of duty–

(a) keep the key to that container in his personal possession; and

(b) ensure that the container and all the detonators–

(i) remain in his personal possession, or

(ii) are kept in a securely-locked box;

but nothing in this sub-paragraph shall prevent the shotfirer or trainee shotfirer concerned from using the detonators in shotfiring operations.

(5) Subject to paragraph (6), every shotfirer or trainee shotfirer who, at the end of his period of duty, has not used all the detonators issued to him, shall return those which remain unused to an attendant at an explosives store.

(6) Nothing in paragraph (5) shall prevent a shotfirer or trainee shotfirer from depositing unused detonators at a place designated by the manager pursuant to regulation 7(6) pending their return to an explosives store by any person such as is specified in paragraph (1).