Ohio Administrative Code
Title 1501:13 - Division of Mineral Resources Management - Coal
Chapter 1501:13-9 - Identification of Mine Area: Environmental Integrity; Postmining Use of Land
Section 1501:13-9-10 - Training, examination, and certification of blasters
Universal Citation: OH Admin Code 1501:13-9-10
Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A) General.
(1) All surface blasting operations in coal
and industrial minerals mines, including surface blasting operations incident
to underground mining and blasting operations on coal exploration operations,
shall be conducted by a certified blaster who has obtained certification
pursuant to the requirements of this rule.
(2) The chief may enter into agreements with
other state agencies, boards, or institutions to administer any or all of the
training, examination, and certification requirements of this rule. However,
the final authority to accept or reject applicants for certification or
recertification and the final authority to suspend or revoke a blaster's
certification shall remain with the chief.
(3) The chief may grant reciprocity to any
blaster who holds a valid certification or
license issued under any state or federal blaster certification
or license program approved by the U.S.
department of the interior's office of surface
mining reclamation and enforcement. However, to
obtain certification under this rule, the blaster must apply for and pass an
examination on Ohio blasting regulations pertaining to coal and industrial
minerals mines, and meet any other requirement deemed necessary by the
chief.
(4)
The chief may issue a limited type of certification to blasters who conduct
small-scale blasting on industrial minerals mining permits issued under Chapter
1514. of the Revised Code, but only when the blasting operations meet all of
the following conditions:
(a)
The primary purpose is to split natural stone deposits
into rectangular blocks,or "dimension stone," for use in buildings, landscaping
projects, break walls, or similar purposes;
(b)
Detonating cord
is the primary explosive charge in all blastholes; small-diameter cartridges,
if used, occupy no more than twenty per cent of the blasthole
length;
(c)
The blastholes do not exceed three inches in diameter,
are spaced no greater than thirty-six inches apart in a single row for each
fracture plane desired, and are connected on the surface with detonating cord
and no delays between the holes; and
(d)
The weight of
explosives per hole does not exceed five pounds, and the total weight of
explosives per blast does not exceed two hundred pounds.
(B) Training. The chief shall inform certified blasters of changes in blasting rules and certification procedures, and shall ensure that courses are available to train persons responsible for the use of explosives in mining operations. The courses shall provide training and discuss practical applications of:
(1) Explosives, including:
(a) Selection of the type of explosive to be
used;
(b) Determination of the
properties of explosives which will produce desired results at an acceptable
level of risk; and
(c) Handling,
transportation, and storage.
(2) Blast designs, including:
(a) Geologic and topographic
considerations;
(b) Design of a
blast hole, with critical dimensions;
(c) Pattern design, field layout, and timing
of blast holes; and
(d) Field
applications.
(3)
Loading blast holes, including priming and boostering;
(4) Initiation systems and blasting
machines;
(5) Ground vibration,
airblast, flyrock, and fumes, including:
(a) Monitoring techniques; and
(b) Methods to control adverse
effects.
(6) Secondary
blasting applications;
(7) All
federal and state rules applicable to the use of explosives in coal and
non-coal surface mines;
(8) Blast
records;
(9) Blast
Schedules;
(10) Preblasting
surveys, including:
(a)
Availability;
(b) Coverage;
and
(c) Considerations in blast
design.
(11) Blast plan
requirements;
(12) Certification
and training;
(13) Signs, warning
signals, and site control; and
(14)
Recognizing, preventing and mitigating potential
hazards, including:
(a) Lightning;
(b) Stray currents;
(c) Radio waves;
(d) Misfires; and
(e) Toxic gases,
including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
(C)Requirements for certification and examination.
To become a certified blaster a person must have:
(1) Received a minimum of forty hours of
training covering all the topics set forth in paragraph (B) of this rule in a
course taught under the supervision of the chief, or in a course, or series of
courses, deemed equivalent by the chief. For a person
seeking only a limited certification pursuant to paragraph (A)(4) of this rule,
the chief may waive some of the required training hours and topics, such that
the course or series of courses are relevant to the limited blasting conditions
listed under paragraph (A)(4) of this rule;
(2) Worked on a blasting crew for at least
two years in mining, excavation, or an equivalent working
environment;
(3) Received direction
and on-the-job training from a
blaster certified or licensed in any state;
(4) Exhibited a pattern of conduct
consistent with the acceptance of responsibility for blasting operations;
and
(5) Passed a written
examination covering, at a minimum, the topics set forth in paragraph (B) of
this rule.
(a)
A
person seeking certification may take the examination after receiving the
training required under paragraph (C)(1) of this rule and completing at least
one of the two years of blasting crew work experience required under paragraph
(C)(2) of this rule. However, upon passing the examination a person shall not
be certified until he or she has completed all of the two-year blasting crew
work experience requirement.
(b)
A person seeking
only a limited certification pursuant to paragraph (A)(4) of this rule shall
pass a written examination covering only the topics in paragraph (B) of this
rule that are relevant to the limited blasting conditions listed under
paragraph (A)(4) of this rule.
(D) Certification and recertification.
(1) The chief, or an agency, board or
institution authorized by the chief pursuant to paragraph (A)(2) of this rule,
shall certify for three years those persons examined and found to be competent
and to have the necessary experience to accept responsibility for surface
blasting operations in mines. Each person approved for certification shall
receive a certificate suitable for office display and a wallet-size
identification card. The certificate and identification card shall include, at
a minimum, the type of certification, the person's name, certification number
and date of expiration, and the name and signature of the chief or of the
official of the authorized agency, board or institution granting the
certification.
(2) To be
recertified without a lapse in certification, a blaster certified under this
rule must have:
(a) Applied for
recertification no more than ninety days prior to the expiration date of the
blaster's current certificate; and
(b) Received a minimum of twenty-four hours
of continuing education by attending blasting-related courses, seminars or
conferences approved by the chief or an authorized representative, with at
least eight hours obtained from an organization or person other than the
blaster's employer or its parent company or explosives supplier.
A blaster holding only a limited certification pursuant
to paragraph (A)(4) of this rule is exempt from meeting the twenty-four-hour
continuing education requirement of this paragraph, but must receive a minimum
of eight hours of blasting-related training approved by the chief or an
authorized representative of the chief.
(3) If a blaster certified under this rule
fails to apply for recertification on, or before, the expiration date of his or
her certificate, the blaster's certification shall expire, and the blaster
shall have thirty days thereafter to apply for recertification without being
subject to re-examination under paragraph (C) of this rule.
(E) Conditions of certification.
(1) The certificate or wallet-size
identification card issued pursuant to paragraph (D) (1) of this rule, or a
copy of the certificate notarized to be a true and exact copy, shall be carried
by a blaster, or shall be on file at the mine permit area, during blasting
operations.
(2) Upon request by an
authorized representative of the chief or other regulatory authority having
jurisdiction over the use of explosives, a blaster shall immediately exhibit
his or her certificate or wallet-size identification card to the authorized
representative.
(3) A blaster's
certification shall not be assigned or transferred.
(4) A blaster shall not delegate his or her
responsibility to any individual who is not a certified blaster.
(5) A certified blaster shall take every
reasonable precaution to protect his or her certificate and wallet-size
identification card from loss, theft, or unauthorized duplication. Any such
occurrence shall be reported immediately to the chief.
(F) Suspension and revocation.
(1) Following written notice and opportunity
for a hearing, the chief may, and upon a finding of willful conduct shall,
suspend or revoke the certification of a blaster during the term of the
certification, or take other necessary action for any of the following reasons:
(a) Noncompliance with any order of the
chief, any order issued by a regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the
use of explosives, or any order issued by a court of law, relative to the use
of explosives;
(b) Violation of any
provision of state or federal explosives laws or regulations, a
blasting-related permit condition, or any condition of certification;
(c) Unlawful use in the work place of, or
current addiction to, alcohol, narcotics, or other dangerous drugs;
(d) Providing false information or a
misrepresentation on any application for certification or
recertification;
(e) Falsification
of blast records; or
(f) Conducting
a blast where flyrock was cast beyond the permit boundary of any
mine.
(2) If advance
notice and opportunity for a hearing cannot be provided, an opportunity for a
hearing shall be provided as soon as practical following suspension,
revocation, or other adverse action.
(3) Upon notice of a suspension or
revocation, the blaster shall immediately surrender the suspended or revoked
certificate and wallet-size identification card and all copies thereof to the
chief and may work on a blasting crew only under the direct supervision of a
certified blaster.
(4) To repossess
a suspended certificate the blaster must:
(a)
Exhibit a pattern of conduct consistent with the acceptance of responsibility
for blasting operations;
(b) Pass
the written examination administered under paragraph (C) of this rule; and
(c) Meet any other requirements
imposed by the chief under the terms of the suspension.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Ohio may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
