§ 817.61 - Use of explosives: General requirements.

§ 817.61 Use of explosives: General requirements.

(a) Applicability. Sections 817.61 through -817.68 apply to surface blasting activities incident to underground coal mining, including, but not limited to, initial rounds of slopes and shafts.

(b) Compliance with other laws and regulations. You must Each operator shall comply with all applicable state State and federal Federal laws and regulations governing in the use of explosives.

(c) Requirements for blastersBlasters.

(1) No later than 12 months after the blaster certification program for a state State required by part 850 of this chapter has been approved under the procedures of subchapter C of this chapter, all surface blasting operations incident to underground mining in that state must State shall be conducted under the direction of a certified blaster. Before that time, all such blasting operations in that state must State shall be conducted by competent, experienced persons who understand the hazards involved.

(2) Certificates of blaster certification must shall be carried by blasters or shall be on file at the permit area during blasting operations.

(3) A blaster and at least one other person shall be present at the firing of a blast.

(4) Any blaster who is responsible for conducting blasting operations at a blasting site mustshall:

(i) Be familiar with the site-specific performance standards; and

(ii) Give direction and on-the-job training to persons who are not certified and who are assigned to the blasting crew or who assist in the use of explosives.

(d) Blast design.

(1) You must submit an An anticipated blast design shall be submitted if blasting operations will be conducted within -

(i) 1,000 feet of any building used as a dwelling, public building, school, church , or community or institutional building outside the permit area; or

(ii) 500 feet of an active or abandoned underground minemines.

(2) You must submit the blast design required by paragraph (d)(1) of this section either The blast design may be presented as part of the a permit application or , if approved by the regulatory authority, at a later date before blasting begins. Regulatory authority approval of the blast design is not required, but, as provided in paragraph (d)(5) of this section, the regulatory authority may require changes to the designtime, before the blast, approved by the regulatory authority.

(3) The blast design must contain -

(i) Sketches

shall contain sketches of the drill patterns, delay periods, and decking

. (ii) The

and shall indicate the type and amount of explosives to be used

.

(iii) Critical dimensions.

(iv) The

, critical dimensions, and the location and general description of structures to be protected

. (v) A

, as well as a discussion of design factors to be used

to

, which protect the public and meet the applicable airblast, flyrock, and ground-vibration standards in § 817.67

of this part

.

(4) A certified blaster must prepare and sign the blast design The blast design shall be prepared and signed by a certified blaster.

(5) The regulatory authority may require changes to the design submitted.

[48 FR 9492, Mar. 4, 1983, and 48 FR 9809, Mar. 8, 1983, as amended at 51 FR 19461, May 29, 1986; 81 FR 93418, Dec. 20, 2016; 82 FR 54999, Nov. 17, 2017]