§ 211.159. Electric detonation.
(a) Electric blasting caps shall be tested for continuity with a blaster’s galvanometer or blaster’s multimeter specifically designed for testing blasting circuits. Testing shall be done:
(1) Before the primers are made up.
(2) After the blast hole has been loaded but prior to stemming.
(3) As the final connecting of the circuit progresses.
(b) When a shunt is removed from electric blasting cap leg wires, the exposed wires shall be reshunted.
(c) Electric blasting caps may not be employed in a blast if there is any possibility of wires from the circuit being thrown against overhead or nearby electric lines.
(d) An effort may not be made to reclaim or reuse electric blasting caps if the leg wires have been broken off near the top of the cap.
(e) Leg wires on electric blasting caps shall extend above the top of the blast hole. Wire connections and splices are not allowed in the blast hole.
(f) Only solid wire shall be used in a blasting circuit. The use of stranded wire is prohibited.
(g) When electric detonation is used near public roads, signs shall be erected at least 500 feet (152.40 meters) from the blast areas reading: ‘‘BLAST AREA - SHUT OFF ALL TWO-WAY RADIOS.’’
(h) A blasting machine is the only permissible source of electrical power for a detonation.
(i) The blasting circuit shall remain shunted until the time for detonation unless the circuit is being tested or connections are being made.
(j) A sticker shall be displayed on blasting machines that shows they have been tested within the last 30 days by procedures recommended by the manufacturer or supplier to ensure performance at rated capacity. If blasting caps are used in the test, they shall be covered with earth or sand.
(k) When electronic detonation is used, the blaster-in-charge shall determine that adequate current, as specified by the manufacturer of the detonators, is available to properly energize the detonators in the circuit.
No part of the information on this site may be reproduced for profit or sold for profit.
This material has been drawn directly from the official Pennsylvania Code full text database. Due to the limitations of HTML or differences in display capabilities of different browsers, this version may differ slightly from the official printed version.
