Overview
OSHA regulates the manufacture, storage, transportation, and use of explosives, blasting agents, and pyrotechnics.
What types of explosives are there?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, explosives can be broken down into three categories:
Class A—those explosives that have a detonating, or otherwise maximum hazard, such as dynamite, nitroglycerin, picric acid, blasting caps, and detonating primers.
Class B—those explosives that have a flammable hazard, such as propellant explosives, photographic flash powders, and some special fireworks.
Class C—those manufactured articles that contain Class A or Class B explosives, or both, as components but in restricted quantities.
Safe Operating Procedures
Explosives must be handled with extreme care. Some of the basic guidelines for handling explosives include:
• No smoking near the explosive material or while on a vehicle used to transport.
• No carrying of firearms.
• No reckless or careless loading, unloading, or driving of a transport vehicle.
Transporting Explosives
Individuals who transport explosives must be aware of several items when performing this duty. When transporting explosives or blasting agents, the operators of the transporting vehicles need to know and understand:
• The state and local laws pertinent to that particular area.
• Traffic regulations and the hazardous properties of the commodities being transported.
• How and when to contact the appropriate authorities such as local fire and police departments when transferring the explosives from one vehicle to another, or when a breakdown or collision occurs.
• The procedures for handling emergency situations.
• Proper and qualified supervision required for transfer from one vehicle to another.
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