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By Steve Dillingham

Change occurs all of the time. In fact, it’s fair to say that change is a constant. Sometimes the change is inconsequential, but sometimes the change impacts us d i rectly and severely. Take regulations, for instance. Complying with regulatory requirements is just part of the job for those involved with explosives. But in recent years, it seems as if new or revised regulations in areas such as hazardous materials training, drug and alcohol testing, security issues, or local licensing/permitting standards are changing the way we operate on a recurring basis. Simply keeping track of all of these regulations has become a full-time job.

Jan 1, 2003

By John Petty, John Loviza

As a blaster, have you ever had that uneasy feeing in the pit of your stomach as a codes enforcement official drives onto your jobsite? Have you ever needed an ally in a court of law against an unjust damage claim? Have you ever wished for a better and more open relationship with the guys who wear the badges?

Jan 1, 1996

By Agne Rustan

This paper is intended to give a summary of the first ten Symposia on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting where the symposia activities were governed by a Steering Committee replaced at Fragblast 2 by an International Organizing Committee (IOC). At Fragblast 9 the name was changed to Fragblast International Organizing Committee (FIOC). Eighty four pages of statistical data about Fragblast 1-10 is documented on the Fragblast Website (ISEE.org).

Jan 1, 2014

By Fred Drury

I spent 38 years in the Industry in a variety of sales, technical and management positions. I started out with Hercules, then was one of the founders of ECONEX, a large regional Distributor, and finally served with Dyno Nobel as a global Vice President, based in Oslo, Norway. When I retired in the fall of 1998, I looked forward to spending a lot less time traveling and a lot more time around home. After 4 years, I’m still traveling and still wondering how to find a few more hours in the day.

Jan 1, 2003

By Douglas A. Bartley, Davey Bickford, Raphael Trousselle

The long awaited arrival of a high accuracy detonator to reach the explosives end user will provide new opportunities the blasting community to become better equipped and able to improve upon the current approaches and methodologies used in blast design as they apply to the mitigation of adverse effects from blasting. This paper will detail the approach and findings throughout a several month research project to quantify the high accuracy detonator benefits and to mitigate a long standing vibration problem at a hard rock stone quarry in the state of New York. The tests conducted in this study were designed to provide important information as to the relationship between the use of high accuracy detonators and overall blast performance in terms of ground vibration prediction, control and improved rock fragmentation.

Jan 1, 1998

By Larry Schneider

In recent years, many individuals looking into the future of the blasting industry have predicted that the most likely next technological breakthrough would be the use of high precision, digitally controlled detonators. This seemed logical since not only was there much room for improvement in this area, but any significant improvement in delay timing could yield great benefits in productivity and control of adverse effects. And in fact, within the past two or three years, such electronic detonators have been introduced in the field by a number of different manufacturers. These systems are currently being used in many routine blasting operations around the world which are being closely watched and evaluated.

Jan 1, 2006

By John Brulia

It has been said that the only thing that remains constant is change. After more than 33 years in the explosives industry, I do not take any exception to that adage. I have seen changes in people, changes in ownership of companies-both small and large, domestic and international; changes in products; changes in the way we use products; changes in the way we handle products; changes in regulations; and last, but not least, changes in our perceptions of threats to our industry.

Jan 1, 2008

When a company has an effective hearing loss prevention program, everyone wins-the employers, the employees, and the safety and health professionals who implement the program. This guidebook is not about minimal programs that meet only the letter of the law. It is concerned with programs that are effective as well as efficient: those optimizing program elements that succeed in preventing hearing loss in a practical and cost effective manner.

Jan 1, 2006

By Satish Kate

Indian limestone mines which are highly mechanized in operation and supply limestone to the cement plants have been quite successful in devising ways and means to optimize blasting parameters, so as to have best fragmentation, powder factor, and cost of excavation. In primary blasting mechanized or manually mixed ammonium nitrate Fuel Oil is quite popular in dry holes, and in case of watery holes conventional packaged slurry/emulsions are being used. In order to avail the low density characteristics of the ANFO, some limestone mines have also used Saw Dust and Rice Husk along with ANFO. A number of field trials have been undertaken to explore the suitability of mixing rice-husk and saw dust with ANFO. Presently, about 10% of rice husk/saw dust is being used only to expand the explosive column. The main technical consideration for the use of saw dust/rice husk, has been to reduce the final density and increase the occupancy of explosive in the blast-hole. This not only lowers the detonation pressure in the blast holes, but also reduces cost of explosive without compromising on the fragmentation quality. Besides, with sleeping of the charge there is no substantial fall in the blast quality.

Jan 1, 2006

By Douglas A. Anderson

It is quite common for people exposed to blast vibrations to ask questions such as "How big was that blast on the Richter Scale?" Although it is tempting to dismiss such questions out of hand, for the lay person it is understandable that something which shakes their house should have some sort of measure attached to it. Since a layman doesn't usually know about particle velocity, frequency or the other terms used in describing and regulating blast vibration, the Richter Scale is usually the only measure they can relate to.

Jan 1, 1994

By Ron Gilbert

Every day, demand increases with over all population; supply must follow. People must have more food, shelter, and mobility. Raw materials must be mined. Roads, trenches and foundations support the quality of life.

Jan 1, 1996

By Jorge Cárdenas, Alejandro Luna

In mining simulation for fragmentation results prediction is of utmost importance to study feasibility, ensure safety, and estimate the correct use of resources in drilling an explosive to meet requirements and avoid excessive usage. One critical case is fragmentation prediction, developed through models. Developing a fragmentation model in a mining unit aims to control blasting results to align theoretical and real data and improve correlation. Therefore, it is essential to collect post-blast fragmentation data, organize it, and systematically process it to develop a suitable model that meets variable requirements. Using a robust system of equations, this model should generate the required results with minimal variability between simulation and actual results. Additionally, this model must be adaptive to reduce this variability. Studying the most known and used models in mining resulted in our work correlating Cunningham 2006, Swebrec, and CZM models. Thus, the Simfrag model was created, presenting a robust foundation and combining the most notable advantages of the aforementioned models.

Jan 21, 2025

By Dale Ramsey

During Phase IV of our Landfill Mine Stabilization project at a coal burning power generating station, it was determined that a coal barrier pillar separating two abandoned areas of the deep mine had to be breached prior to expansion of the ash disposal area. The proposed plan by the landfill design engineers involved using a high pressure jet cutting tool to cut a slot to allow water flow to an existing industrial waste water treatment facility. Our plan proposed using explosives to breach the pillar from the surface reducing earth disturbance in a high quality watershed while reducing the project cost and accelerating the project time schedule. Many issues surfaced with the proposed change of using explosives. There were a number of lessons learned from this case history and is the primary basis of this paper.

Jan 1, 2003

By Catherine T. Aimone-Martin, Meyers Joseph A.

A new strain-based criteria is being adopted for rock blasting in New York City (NYC). This criteria is based on several years of research involving vibration measurements of tall structures during blasting within several feet from buildings designated historic and Landmarked. This research has demonstrated that tall, heavy structures show little upper-structure vibratory response during hard-rock, urban blasting carried out in NYC. The Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) permits rock blasting and regulated limits for ground vibrations using the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) safe blasting criteria. However, these regulations are often superseded by a 0.5 in/s (12.7 mm/s) limit imposed by the New York City Department of Buildings for historic and Landmarked buildings that are adjacent to the majority of blasting projects in the City. This onerous limit is often exceeded resulting in frequent stop work orders that increase the cost and time of rock excavation projects. The

Jan 1, 2019

By Jack Eloranta

Optimization of blasting requires the comprehension of processes including drilling through milling. The author has previously considered the role of powder factor in relationship to downstream processing costs. Recent modeling done by Lownds provides improved prediction of fragmentation based on the distribution and level of blast energy. Many recent studies have indicated improved downstream costs due to higher powder factor. However, changes in powder factor are accompanied by changes in pattern. The purpose is to segregate the effects of higher powder factor from powder distribution. This paper will attempt to use typical Mesabi Range iron ore parameters and costs to illuminate the subject of total process optimization.

Jan 1, 2001

By James Rowland, Marcia Harris, Richard Mainiero

This paper reviews the potential hazards posed by the toxic fumes produced by detonating explosives in surface mining and construction operations. Blasting operations produce both toxic and nontoxic gaseous products; the toxic being mainly carbon monoxide (CO) and the oxides of nitrogen (NO x ). The quantity of toxic gases produced by an explosive is affected by formulation, confinement, age of the explosive, and contamination of the explosive with water or drill cuttings, among others. Techniques to protect workers and the public from the potential hazards of explosive-related toxic fumes are discussed.

Jan 1, 2007

By Gene Baker

A new Safety Library Publication (SLP), SLP-27, which is titled “Security in Manufacturing, Transportation, Storage and Use of Commercial Explosives” was recently released by the Institute of Makers of Explosives (IME). SLP-27 makes recommendations for both general security and enhanced security at explosives sites when security risk levels, declared by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) using its Advisory System, have temporarily increased.

Jan 1, 2006

By Lon D. Santis

This paper summarizes explosives transportation incident and accident data collected by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from 1993 to 1998. The paper briefly describes the legislation and regulations that cover hazardous materials transportation. The multimodal incident data collected by the Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) contained 86 incidents involving Class 1 materials during transit. Thirty-two occurred on public highways. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data showed there were 8 1 motor-vehicle accidents involving explosives. The FHWA Crash datafile extract contained 649 records categorized as involving Class 1 materials although closer analysis revealed that nearly 90% of these did not involve explosives. In both databases, there were no fatalities caused by the explosive materials although 7 fatalities were the result of injuries suffered during the motorvehicle accident. There were also no serious explosions during any of these incidents or accidents. The paper concludes with an analysis of the risk involved with transportation of commercial Class 1 materials on the highway.

Jan 1, 2000

By Elliott A. Pood, Ron Gilbert

Recent advances in digital recording technology have allowed frame rate increases in video recording equipment that provide the capability for super slow motion playback of commercial explosives shots. Such slow motion playback allows for the analysis of shot patterns, cap scatter, pattern failures, etc. In addition, the availability of such materials on video tape enables commercial blasters to provide a means for training current and future staff.

Jan 1, 1996

By R. Alford

In the modern world of demolition safety is paramount and unnecessary or unquantifiable risks are not accepted (FasterCapital, 2024) and all risks must be kept As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) (BSI, 2017). This principle has led to a huge reduction in deaths in the last 50 years and the statistics continue to improve although this is starting to plateau (Beal, 2007). Under normal circumstances, this is now simply part of the normal way work is done and systems are in place to ensure both safety and economic profits are assured. What happens when the environment is less controlled and risks are unknown, such as after a natural disaster, war, an accident or a stand-up from a failed demolition attempt? A dangerous structure cannot responsibly be left alone with a fence around it so some action must be taken, but how can this be done safely and responsibly? An incident in Didcot, England in which half of a power station’s boiler house being prepared for an explosive demolition collapsed suddenly, killing four men in 2016 provides a useful case study of how technology, creativity and planning can be used to conduct complex demolition fully remotely to avoid any further risk to life.

Jan 21, 2025