Ohio Administrative Code
Title 1501:14 - Division of Mineral Resources Management - Industrial Mineral
Chapter 1501:14-3 - Drainage and Soil
Section 1501:14-3-04 - Use of explosives in industrial minerals operations
Universal Citation: OH Admin Code 1501:14-3-04
Current through all regulations passed and filed through March 18, 2024
(A) General.
(1) The provisions of this rule
apply to all surface blasting
operations, including surface blasting operations incidental to underground
mining, on all industrial minerals mining and reclamation operations. For box
or contour cuts associated with development of underground mine entries, this
rule applies to all material above the final floor level of
the cut. For vertical shafts and drift or slope entries associated with
underground mining, this rule applies only to the first
twenty-five feet of material excavated below or beyond the original ground
surface or point of entry.
(2)
Blasting operations shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable state
and federal laws and regulations.
(3) For purposes of this rule, "certified
blaster" means a blaster who possesses a valid certificate obtained
pursuant to rule
1501:13-9-10 of the
Administrative Code and "blaster-in-charge" means, for each blast, the
certified blaster responsible for the loading of the blastholes (including
delay detonator connections), detonation of the blast, and completion of the
blast record required under paragraph (E) of this rule.
(4) Blasting operations shall be conducted
only under the supervision of a certified blaster. Only a certified blaster, or
a member of the blasting crew under the direct supervision of the certified
blaster, may detonate a blast. Any certified blaster who is responsible for
conducting blasting operations at a blasting site shall give direction and
on-the-job training to persons who are not certified and who are assigned to
the blasting crew or assist in the use of explosives at that site.
(5) Certified blasters, and other persons
responsible for blasting operations at a blasting site, shall review and know
the permittee's blasting plan and sitespecific blasting requirements. The
permittee shall keep a copy of the current blasting plan and permit map at the
permit site for use by employees, contract blasters, and any other persons
responsible for blasting operations.
(B) Blasting times.
(1) Blasts may be detonated only between
sunrise and sunset. The chief may further limit the time periods for blasting
if necessary and reasonable in order to protect the public health and
safety.
(2) Blasts may be detonated
at other times only in emergency situations where rain, lightning, other
atmospheric conditions, or operator or public safety so requires. When a blast
is detonated under any of those circumstances, the blaster-in-charge shall
document the reason for the late or unscheduled blast in the blast record
required under paragraph (E) of this rule.
(C) Blasting signs, warnings, and access control.
(1) All blasting signs required to be
posted shall:
(a)
Be of uniform
design throughout the operation;
(b)
Be easily
visible;
(c)
Made of durable material;
(d)
Be maintained
during all operations to which they pertain; and
(e)
Conform to local
ordinances and codes.
(2) The permittee shall conspicuously place
signs reading "BLASTING AREA" along the edge of any blasting area that comes
within one hundred feet of any public road right-of-way, and at the edge of
blasting areas along access and haul roads within the permit area. In addition
to "BLASTING AREA," such signs may include supplemental words or phrases such
as "danger" or "do not enter."
(3)
At all entrances to the permit area from any road, the permittee shall
conspicuously place signs that state "WARNING! EXPLOSIVES IN USE" which clearly
explain the meaning of the audible warning and all-clear signals in
use.
(4) For each blast, the
blaster-in-charge shall determine the limits of the blasting area and
communicate those limits to the certified mine foreperson or to his or her
designee. The certified mine foreperson or his or her designee
are
responsible for controlling access to the blasting area to prevent the presence
of livestock or unauthorized persons at least ten minutes before each blast,
and until the blaster-in-charge has determined that no unusual hazards, such as
imminent slides or undetonated charges, exist, and access to and travel within
the blasting area can safely resume. The certified mine foreperson or his or
her designee shall not allow anyone to re-enter the blasting area until the
blasterin-charge has confirmed that the all-clear signal has been sounded.
"Blasting area" means the area in which airblast (concussion or shock wave),
flyrock, or other blasting hazards might cause injury to persons or damage to
property. In determining the blasting area, the following factors shall be
considered:
(a) Geology of the material to be
blasted;
(b) Orientation of the
blast bench and rock face(s);
(c)
Blast pattern layout, delay system and timing;
(d) Burden, depth, diameter and angle of the
blastholes;
(e) Blasting experience
of the mine;
(f) Powder factor and
pounds of explosives per delay;
(g)
Type and amount of explosive material;
(h) Type and amount of stemming;
(i) Atmospheric conditions; and
(j) Topography.
(5) At least one minute, but not more than
two minutes before the detonation of a blast, the blaster-in-charge, or someone
directed by the blaster-in-charge, shall give an audible warning signal. If the
blast is not detonated within two minutes of the audible warning signal, the
warning signal shall be repeated as required by this paragraph before the blast
is detonated. After the blast has been detonated and the blaster-in-charge has
confirmed that the blast area is safe to re-enter, an audible all-clear signal
shall be given.
(6) Warning and all
clear signals, to be produced by an airhorn, siren or similar device, shall be
audible to at least one thousand feet in all directions from the blast site.
"Blast site" means the area formed by the perimeter of the loaded blastholes
and fifty feet in all directions from loaded blastholes. The warning signal
shall consist of three long sounds, each lasting at least five seconds,
and the allclear signal
consist of one long sound lasting at
least ten seconds.
(D) Control of adverse effects.
(1) Blasting shall
be conducted in a manner that prevents injury to persons and damage to public
or private property outside the area for which a permit was issued.
(2) "Flyrock," defined as rock, mud or debris
(excluding dust) ejected from the blast site by the force of a blast, shall not
be cast beyond the permit boundary.
(a) If
flyrock is cast beyond the permit boundary, the blaster-in-charge shall notify
the division of mineral resources management by telephone within two hours
after learning of the flyrock incident, and submit a flyrock incident report to
the division within three business days after learning of the incident. Neither
the permittee nor the certified blaster shall conduct another blast directly
beside or behind the blast site where the flyrock originated until the report
is properly completed and the division of mineral resources management has
acknowledged its receipt. The report shall be signed by the blaster-in-charge
who conducted the blast,
and include, at a minimum, a copy of the blast record
and all available seismographic data, a sketch of the blast site and rock
deposition area, and a detailed explanation of: how the blasts were designed
and loaded; who witnessed the blast and where they were located and what they
observed; the location and nature of the flyrock deposition (including property
owners, type and approximate number of rocks, size and distance range),
property damages (if any) and personal injuries (if any); what measures have
been taken to repair all property damages (if any) and address all personal
injuries (if any); the probable cause of the flyrock incident; and the
corrective measures to be taken to prevent another flyrock incident.
(3) Ground vibration, when
measured at any dwelling, public or commercial building, school, church, or
community or institutional building located outside the permit area and not
owned by the permittee, shall not exceed the frequencydependent particle
velocity limits illustrated below, from the "Report of Investigations 8507,
Appendix B: Alternative Blasting Level Criteria (1980)," published by the
former U.S. Bureau of Mines. When applying the frequencydependent particle
velocity limits, the lower plateau at 0.50 inches per second shall apply at its
corresponding frequencies to the nearest dwelling or building listed above,
unless the permittee submits to the chief site-specific technical evidence to
support application of the higher plateau at 0.75 inches per second, and the
chief approves a blast plan modification to that effect.
(4)
Airblast, when measured at any dwelling or building listed in paragraph (D)(3)
of this rule shall not exceed one hundred thirty-three decibels.
(5) A seismograph shall be used beside the
nearest dwelling or building in paragraph (D)(3) of this rule to demonstrate
compliance with the ground vibration and airblast limits of paragraphs (D)(3)
and (D)(4) of this rule. As an alternative to seismographic monitoring, the
blast shall comply with the scaled distance equation, W =
(D/90)2, where W is the maximum weight of
explosives, in pounds, that can be detonated within any period less than eight
milliseconds, D is the distance, in feet, from the nearest blasthole to the
nearest dwelling or building in paragraph (D)(3) of this rule, and ninety is
the applicable scaled distance factor.
(6) For structures not listed in paragraph
(D)(3) of this rule, such as oil or gas wells, oil or gas transmission and
distribution lines, high-voltage steel transmission towers, public water lines,
dams, silos, and unoccupied barns and pole buildings, located outside the
permit area and not owned by the permittee, a seismograph shall be used beside
the nearest structure to demonstrate that the peak particle velocity did not
exceed 2.0 inches per second. As an alternative to seismographic monitoring,
the blast shall comply with the scaled distance equation, W =
(D/40)2, where W is the maximum weight of
explosives, in pounds, that can be detonated within any period less than eight
milliseconds, D is the distance, in feet, from the nearest blasthole to the
nearest structure, and forty is the applicable scaled distance factor. A higher
peak particle velocity limit may be approved for a specific structure if the
permittee submits to the chief site-specific technical evidence to support the
higher limit, and the chief approves a blast plan modification to that
effect.
(7) Any or all of the
ground vibration and airblast limits in paragraphs (D)(3), (D)(4) and (D)(6) of
this rule may be waived by the current owner or controlling authority of the
dwelling, building or structure, provided such waiver is in the form of a
written consent, submitted to the division of mineral resources management upon
application for a new permit or an amendment to add acreage to an existing
permit, or with a request to modify a mining and reclamation plan, and approved
by the chief.
(8) All seismographs
used to prove compliance with the ground vibration and airblast limits required
by this rule shall have seismic and acoustic systems with a minimum frequency
range of two to two hundred fifty hertz, with accuracies that meet or exceed
the performance specifications for blasting seismographs adopted by the
international society of explosives engineers, "ISEE Performance Specifications
for Blasting Seismographs, 2011 Edition," available as a digital download from
the "International Society of Explosives Engineers" at the website
www.isee.org. The ground vibration
shall be measured as the particle velocity and recorded in three mutually
perpendicular directions. The maximum allowable frequency-dependent particle
velocity limits and peak particle velocity limits in this rule
apply in each of the three directions
of measurement. Whenever possible, the seismographic measurement shall be made
within ten feet of the building or structure being monitored, on the side of
the building or structure closest to the blast site.
(9) Any person who operates a seismograph for
the purpose of demonstrating compliance with the ground vibration and airblast
limits of this rule shall have received appropriate training, for the specific
seismograph model(s) in use, in: programming the seismograph(s) to record the
blast; positioning the geophone and microphone; coupling the geophone to the
ground; extracting the data after the blast in digital and printed form; and
understanding the results. Such training shall be received from a
representative of the seismograph manufacturer or distributor, or other
competent person,
a record of such training
maintained by the seismograph
operator or his or her employer, and made available for inspection by the chief
or his or her authorized representative upon request.
(E) Blast records.
(1) The permittee shall retain a record of
all blasts for at least three years, and make those records available for inspection
upon request by the chief or an authorized representative of the
chief.
(2) Where blast records are
normally kept at an office of the permittee not located on the permit site, the
record for each blast shall be on file at that office within five business days
after the blast is detonated.
(3)
Blast records shall be accurately completed at the mine site by the
blaster-in-charge, and contain the
following data for each blast:
(a) Name of the
permittee and permit number;
(b)
Name of the firm conducting the blast, if different from the
permittee;
(c) Location, date, and
time of blast;
(d) Printed name,
signature, and certification number of the blaster-in-charge, and the name of
each person on the blasting crew;
(e) Relative to the nearest blasthole, the
identification of, distance to, direction to, and method used to determine the
distance and direction to, the nearest dwelling, public or commercial building,
school, church, or community or institutional building outside the permit area
that is not owned by the permittee. The direction shall be stated in degrees,
as an azimuth from zero to three hundred sixty degrees. The distance shall be
stated in feet, as derived from an aerial photo, a topographic map,
conventional field measurement devices (e.g., measuring tape or transit), or
electronic devices (e.g., laser-ranging or global positioning system
units);
(f) Weather conditions,
including temperature and approximate wind direction and velocity;
(g) Type of material blasted;
(h) Number, diameter, and depth of
holes;
(i) Depth of subdrilling,
where applicable;
(j) Burden and
spacing dimensions;
(k) Type,
manufacturer, and amount of explosives used, including bulk, bagged, or
cartridged explosives, detonating cord, primers, and surface and inhole delay
detonators;
(l) Total weight of
explosives used;
(m) Weight of
explosives used per hole;
(n)
Maximum number of holes and maximum weight of explosives detonated within any
period less than eight milliseconds;
(o) The actual scaled distance factor,
expressed as the distance from the nearest blasthole to the nearest dwelling or
building in paragraph (E)(3)(e) of this rule, divided by the square-root of the
maximum weight of explosives detonated in any period less than eight
milliseconds;
(p) Type of
initiation system used, including the type of blasting machine or other power
source, and the types of trunkline and downline systems, if not readily
apparent from other information in the blast record;
(q) Sequential timer setting, in
milliseconds, if applicable;
(r)
Type and length of stemming used per hole;
(s) Sketch of the blast pattern showing all
holes, delay pattern (including initiation hole, hole-to-hole and row-to-row
delay detonator locations and periods, where applicable, or electronically
programmed hole and deck firing times, where applicable), location of free
faces and previously blasted material, and a north arrow;
(t) Sketch of a typical blasthole
cross-section showing the depth and location of stemming and explosive decks,
primers, and delay detonators;
(u)
Mats or other special protections used;
(v) Seismographic records, when required for
compliance, shall be attached to the blast record within five business days of
the blast, and include:
(i) Make, model and serial number of the
seismograph, seismic and acoustic trigger levels, and most recent annual
calibration date;
(ii) Exact
location of the seismograph and distance from the blast, and the date and time
of the recorded blast event;
(iii)
Name of the person and firm operating the seismograph;
(iv) Full waveform printout, including: three
mutually perpendicular channels of ground vibration and an airblast channel;
dynamic calibration results; a plot of particle velocity versus frequency with
a comparison to the frequency-dependent blast vibration limits in paragraph
(D)(3) of this rule, based on a half-cycle zero-crossing analysis method; and
the peak particle velocity and airblast levels; and
(v) If the seismograph fails to be triggered
by the blast, a printout showing the date and time the seismograph was armed
and ready to record a blast and the date and time the seismograph was disarmed
or shut down, or a written statement including the above information, signed by
the seismograph operator and attached to the blast record; and
(w) Reasons and conditions for a
late or unscheduled blast.
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