Explosives Regulations, 2013

Marginal note:Underground activities

• 136 (1) A person who complies with subsection (2) may carry out any of the following activities underground at an underground mine or underground construction project:

  • (a) pneumatically transferring explosives;

  • (b) pumping, thickening or gassing either emulsion explosives or water gel explosives while charging boreholes; or

  • (c) blending emulsion explosives or water gel explosives with ammonium nitrate or ammonium nitrate/fuel oil mixtures while charging boreholes.

• Marginal note:Requirements

  (2) The person who carries out the activity must ensure that the following requirements are met:

  • (a) the explosives must be on the list of authorized explosives referred to in subsection 41(1);

  • (b) the equipment used to pump, thicken, gas or blend emulsion explosives or water gel explosives must be designed to minimize the likelihood of an ignition, including an ignition resulting from pumping against a blocked outlet or from running the pump without any feed;

  • (c) all progressive cavity pumps must be equipped with at least two independent safety shutdown systems to prevent an excessive rise in temperature;

  • (d) if the person is assisted by another person, the other person must be trained to operate the equipment;

  • (e) a preventive maintenance procedure must be put in place for the equipment, including the pumps;

  • (f) maintenance must be performed by workers who are knowledgeable about the equipment to be maintained; and

  • (g) precautions that minimize the likelihood of an ignition must be taken.