Australian Capital Territory Numbered Regulations

DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES (EXPLOSIVES) REGULATIONS 2004 (NO 10 OF 2004) - REG 216

    (1)     A person charging blast holes with explosives must—

        (a)     if practicable, be positioned so that no part of the person's body is in line with the direction of the hole; and

        (b)     position the primer in the blast hole to minimise the likelihood of a cut-off in the blasting sequence; and

        (c)     if tamping is required—tamp the explosives gently into blast holes of an appropriate size; and

        (d)     if stemming is required—stem the blast holes by tamping the stemming material lightly, gradually increasing the force until the blast hole is stemmed; and

        (e)     ensure that any lead wires, safety fuse, detonating cord or signal tube are not damaged during stemming and tamping.

    (2)     A person charging explosives into a blast hole must use a tamping rod—

        (a)     made of wood or other nonmetallic material without any metal ferrule or tip; and

        (b)     kept free of grit at the ends.

    (3)     For top-primed blast holes, tamping may only begin after at least 150mm of stemming material has been placed in the blast hole.