Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/141834
SAFETY WATCH out Tear this ith your are w nnel and sh t perso plan Safer Blasting Well-maintained drilling logs and proper communication help keep workers safe. compiled by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com • • • • • • From 1978 to 2002, 281 incidents occurred where individuals were struck by material being blasting at mine sites. To determine the proper amount of explosives, consider the condition of the material being blasted. Voids, mud seams, and cracks are just some examples of rock irregularities that should be taken into consideration. All of these conditions should be tracked on a drill log and shared with the blaster prior to loading explosives into boreholes. To further protect operators during a blast, consider the following best practices: Do not initiate a blast until it has been determined that all persons have been evacuated from the blast area. Establish and discuss safe work procedures. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed along with the methods to properly protect persons. Task train all workers to recognize potentially hazardous conditions, to ensure all persons have left the blast area, and to understand safe job procedures for elimination of the hazards before beginning work. Maintain and use all available methods of communication, includng sirens and radios, to warn persons of an impending blast. Establish methods to ensure that all persons are out of the blast area. Before firing a blast, give ample warning to allow all persons to be evacuated. Guard or barricade all access routes to the blast area to Information from this Safety Watch is from an actual accident and is provided by the Mine Safety and Health AGGREGATES MANAGER July 2013 prevent the passage of persons or vehicles. • Verify that the blasting procedures are effective and being followed at all times. AM On March 27, 2013, a 61-year-old loader operator with 24 years of experience was killed at a crushed stone operation. He was in a front-end loader about 50 feet from the base of a highwall when a blast was initiated. Broken rock struck the front-end loader and covered it. The rock was removed from the front-end loader, and the victim was recovered about 10 hours after the blast. Administration. It is meant for general information purposes only. Sponsored by