Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)RegulationsExplosives Regulations, 202413. Safe handling of explosives |
| (1) | An employer, self-employed person or user must ensure that— |
| (a) | all explosives or ingredients thereof are at all times free of foreign material that could create a risk to the health and safety of persons; |
| (b) | all reasonably practicable precautions are taken to prevent the spillage of explosives; |
| (c) | cleaning procedures in the case of a spillage of explosives are stipulated in writing by the explosives manager and must require that any unusual spillage of explosives must be reported to the supervisor immediately; |
| (d) | all waste, paper, timber, rags, cotton and similar materials that have been in contact with either explosives or an ingredient of an explosive are disposed of in a manner stipulated in writing by the explosives manager: Provided that at the end of the working day all waste and floor sweepings from danger buildings must be deposited in places designated for this purpose by the explosives manager; |
| (e) | the explosives or partly mixed explosives are conveyed as soon and as carefully as possible and taking such precautions and in such a manner as will effectively guard against any accidental ignition or explosion; |
| (f) | only containers provided for the conveyance of explosives are used for transporting explosives or partly mixed explosives and that such containers are at all times kept clean, free from grit and in a good state of repair; |
| (g) | vehicles containing explosives are left unattended only in places designated for this purpose by the explosives manager; |
| (h) | explosives are not exposed to direct rays of the sun or to rain, whether being transported or not, except for preparation on burning grounds or testing; and |
| (i) | manufactured explosives are removed as soon as is reasonably possible from the process building to an explosives magazine or that they are immediately dispatched. |
| (2) | An employer, self-employed person or user must ensure that— |
| (a) | all material, equipment, tools or similar articles used in a danger area are decontaminated after such use and that no person uses any such article unless it has been decontaminated; and |
| (b) | the decontamination process contemplated in paragraph (a) is certified and approved by the explosives manager or a person authorised by the explosives manager. |
| (3) | Unless permission has been granted by the chief inspector of occupational health and safety, no person may use explosives in workplaces other than explosives workplaces approved by the chief inspector of occupational health and safety. |
| (4) | An employer, self-employed person or user must ensure that— |
| (a) | explosives are transported and stored together or separately in the explosives workplace in accordance with the compatibility group assignments given in SANS 10228: The identification and classification of dangerous goods for transport by road and rail modes; and |
| (b) | for purposes of manufacturing explosives, when explosives can be categorised in more than one group, they are deemed to belong exclusively to the higher risk compatibility group given in SANS 10228: The identification and classification of dangerous goods for transport by road and rail modes. |
| (5) | No person may— |
| (a) | by leaving explosives unattended allow unauthorised access to such explosives; or |
| (b) | bury, dump, hide or abandon any explosives. |
| (6) | No person may use any explosive material for blasting purposes unless— |
| (a) | he or she is in possession of— |
| (i) | documentary proof of relevant and valid registration as a blaster with the chief inspector of explosives; |
| (ii) | a valid explosives license issued by the chief inspector of occupational health and safety; and |
| (iii) | an original, relevant and valid blasting permit issued by the chief inspector of explosives. |
| (b) | he or she is undergoing training while using such blasting material under the immediate and constant supervision of a person who is in possession of the documentation contemplated in paragraph (a); or |
| (c) | he or she informs the chief director of provincial operations not less than 24 hours prior to such use. |
| (7) | No person may permit any other person who is not in possession of the documentation contemplated in subregulation (6)(a) to use any blasting material unless such other person is, while using such blasting material, under the immediate and constant supervision of a person who is in possession of such documentation. |
| (8) | Any explosives for which provision is not made in these regulations may be used only in such manner and under such conditions as may be prescribed, in writing, by the chief inspector of occupational health and safety. |