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

PART IV SAFETY AND SECURITY OF EXPLOSIVES AND DETONATORS

Handling and use of explosives and detonators

6.  Each person who handles or uses explosives and detonators, or who supervises their handling or use, shall–

(a) treat them with care at all times; and

(b) ensure that they are kept apart until used to prime a cartridge.

Manager’s duties in respect of the storage, handling, use, issue and return of explosives and detonators

7.—(1) The manager shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that explosives and detonators are stored, handled and used safely and securely.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (6), the manager shall ensure that no explosives or detonators are stored at, issued from or returned to any place other than an explosives store.

(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the manager may designate such number of places as may be necessary for the temporary storage underground of explosives brought from an explosives store pending their use in connection with shotfiring operations.

(4) The manager shall not designate any place in pursuance of paragraph (3) unless–

(a) it is suitable for the purpose referred to therein; and

(b) it is capable of being made secure.

(5) The manager shall ensure that any place designated by him in pursuance of paragraph (3) is, when not made secure, supervised by an attendant.

(6) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the manager may designate such number of places above ground as may be necessary (no such place being an explosives store) for the temporary and secure storage of unused explosives and detonators pending their return to an explosives store following shotfiring operations.

Rules for the movement of explosives and detonators

8.—(1) The manager shall make suitable rules for the purpose of ensuring the safe and secure conduct and control of–

(a) any bulk movement of explosives; and

(b) any movement of detonators to or from an explosives store.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), “bulk movement of explosives” means the carrying by one person of more than 10 kilograms of explosives or the movement of explosives by carriage.

Locked containers and carriages

9.—(1) No person shall issue explosives or detonators unless they are locked in a container or (with regard to explosives only) locked in a carriage.

(2) Any person who issues a container of explosives or detonators shall ensure that it holds–

(a) in the case of a container of explosives, nothing more than explosives of the same composition and a check sheet; and

(b) in the case of a container of detonators, nothing more than detonators of the same type and a check sheet.

(3) No person who has control of a container of explosives or detonators shall place in it–

(a) in the case of a container of explosives, anything other than explosives of the same composition and a check sheet; and

(b) in the case of a container of detonators, anything other than detonators of the same type and a check sheet.

(4) The manager shall ensure that no container is issued unless it has been marked with a serial number unique to the mine.

(5) In this regulation, “check sheet” means a document for recording the number of shots fired.

Control of explosives and containers of explosives

10.—(1) No person shall issue or take control of any container of explosives except in connection with his duties at the mine.

(2) No person except–

(a) a shotfirer;

(b) a trainee shotfirer;

(c) (subject to regulation 22(2)(a)) a person authorised in writing by the manager for the purpose; or

(d) a person present for the purpose of–

(i) examining defective or deteriorating explosives, or

(ii) giving specialist technical advice about explosives,

and competent to handle same,

shall open any container of explosives or handle any explosives.

(3) Any person who has been issued with a container holding explosives shall keep the explosives concerned in his personal possession or under his direct control–

(a) until he has used them or returned those which remain to an explosives store;

(b) until he has given them to a shotfirer or trainee shotfirer with a view to their being used in shotfiring operations;

(c) unless he has deposited them at a place designated by the manager pursuant to regulation 7(3) or (6); or

(d) unless he has given them to a person above ground who has been appointed by the manager to receive unused explosives pending their immediate transfer to an explosives store.

(4) The manager shall make suitable arrangements to provide for the adequate control of any explosives left unused at the end of a shotfirer’s period of duty.

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).

Action on finding explosives

12.  Nothing in these Regulations shall prevent a person who finds any explosives, detonators or primed cartridges from taking them directly to a person competent to deal with them or such a competent person from so receiving them.