W. Va. Code R. § 36-1-12

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 24, June 14, 2024
Section 36-1-12 - Explosives Handling and Use
12.1. Damaged or deteriorated explosives or detonators shall be destroyed by a representative from a powder company.
12.2. Light and power circuits shall be disconnected and removed from affected blasting area before charging and blasting.
12.3. No shots shall be fired until such place has been properly examined by an examiner-foreman and no shots shall be fired in any place where methane gas in excess of one percent (1%) is detected with an approved methane gas detector.
12.4. Blasting practices.
12.4.1. All persons shall be removed from the shaft prior to blasting.
12.4.2. All persons in a slope shall be given ample warning before shots are fired. Care shall be taken to determine that all persons are in the clear before shots are fired.
12.5. Blasting areas in shaft and/or slopes shall be covered with mats or other suitable material when the excavation is too shallow to retain blasted material.
12.6. Where it is impractical to prepare primers in the blasting areas, primers may be prepared on the surface and carried into the shafts in a specially constructed, insulated, covered container.
12.7. No other development works shall be performed in a shaft or at the face of a slope where drill holes are being charged until after all shots have been fired.
12.8. Explosives shall be kept separate from detonator until charging is started.
12.9. Holes shall not be drilled where there is danger of intersecting a charged or misfired hole.
12.10. Only wooden or other non-sparking implements shall be used to punch holes in explosive cartridge.
12.11. Tamping poles shall be blunt and squared at one end and made of wood, non-sparking material, or of special approved plastic.
12.12. Electric detonators shall be kept shunted until they are being connected to the blasting line or wired into a blasting round.
12.13. Wired rounds shall be kept shunted until they are being connected to the blasting line
12.14. Completely wired rounds shall be tested with a blasting galvanometer before connections are made to the blasting line.
12.15. Permanent blasting lines shall be properly supported, insulated and kept in good repair.
12.16. Electric detonators of different brands shall not be used in the same round.
12.17. A capped primer shall be prepared so that the detonator is contained securely and is completely embedded within the explosives cartridge.
12.18. No tamping shall be done directly on a capped primer.
12.19. Shots shall be fired promptly after charging. Mud caps (adobes) of any other confined shot shall not be permitted in any shaft and/or slope.
12.20. Drill holes shall be stemmed from the charge of the collar of the hole unless more effective permissible stemming material or methods are approved by the Director.
12.21. Explosives shall not be removed from their original wrapper.
12.22. An independent circuit unless otherwise approved by the Director shall be provided for electric blasting. The circuit shall be well insulated and protected from sources of active or stray electrical currents.
12.23. Electrical currents for firing shots shall be adequate to ensure detonation of an entire round.
12.24. Shooting cables shall be connected to the leg wires by the person firing the shot.
12.25. After blasting, all wires in the broken rock shall be carefully traced and a search made for unexploded explosives.
12.26. Shooting shall not be performed where a danger exists from the shooting cables crossing high voltage power lines above the shaft, after shots are fired
12.27. When electrical detonators are used, charging shall be suspended and personnel withdrawn to a safe location upon the approach of an electrical storm.

W. Va. Code R. § 36-1-12