Safe Quarry - Health and Safety Authority

PART 5
EXPLOSIVES
40. APPLICATION OF PART 5
(Regulation 43)
43. This Part shall apply to the storage, transport,
use and disposal of explosives at a quarry.
The availability of commercial explosives is
regulated under the Explosives Act 1875 and associated
Explosives Regulations. Explosives are strictly
controlled and a person may not import, store or
manufacture explosives without a license issued by
the Department of Justice,Equality and Law Reform.
Transport and sale of explosives is also controlled
by detailed regulations.
Explosives in relation to the Explosives Act 1875
include:
commercial or industrial explosives (such as
detonators, boosters, detonating cord, ANFO
and cartridged explosives)
propellants (such as shooter’s powder, black
powder)
pyrotechnics (such as marine distress flares,
industrial pyrotechnic cartridges and fireworks)
Certain substances such as ammonium nitrate,
sodium chlorate, potassium nitrate and sodium
nitrate also come under the control of the explosives
regulations, as they are deemed to be explosives
for the purposes of the Explosives Act.
This part deals with the safe use of explosives at a
quarry. It does not deal with issues around the
importation of commercial explosives, granting of
blasting permits, the transport of explosives to or
from the quarry or issues in relation to security.
These matters are the remit of other departments
and/or agencies.
The operator’s key responsibility regarding the use
of explosives,as in relation to other risks,is to ensure
that all work with explosives is properly planned,
managed, co-ordinated and supervised. The duties
placed on the operator reflect this. This is the case
whether shotfiring operations are undertaken by a
quarry employee or by a specialist blasting
contractor.
41. APPOINTMENT OF EXPLOSIVE
SUPERVISORS, SHOTFIRERS AND
STOREKEEPERS
(Regulation 44)
44.
(1) The operator shall -
(a) appoint one or more competent persons as
explosives supervisors at the quarry and
obtain confirmation of acceptance of such
appointments in writing,
(b) ensure that, at any given time, there is only
one person acting as the explosives super
visor at the quarry,
(c) appoint one or more competent persons as
shotfirers and trainee shotfirers at the quarry,
(d) appoint, where necessary, one or more
competent persons as storekeepers to
ensure the safe storage and transport of
explosives at the quarry, and
(e) ensure that a record of the appointment at
the quarry of any explosives supervisor,
shotfirer and storekeeper is kept at the
quarry or some other suitable place for the
period of his or her appointment and for 3
years following the termination of his or her
appointment.
(2) Nothing in these Regulations shall prevent a
person appointed as quarry manager under
Regulation 10(1)(a) from being appointed as
explosives supervisor or shotfirer, or both, under
this Regulation, provided that he or she is
competent to discharge those functions.
Appointments and authorisations
The shotfiring rules and procedures at the quarry
must set out arrangements for the appointment of
explosive supervisors, shotfirers, trainee shotfirers,
other persons such as sentries and, where appropriate,
storekeepers for work with explosives at the
quarry. The operator, or the blasting contractor if
there is one, may make these appointments and
authorisations depending on what is required by
the shotfiring rules. All such appointments must be
in writing and records of such appointments kept.
SAFE QUARRY GUIDELINES TO THE SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE AT WORK (QUARRIES) REGULATIONS 2008 59