[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 29, Volume 8]
[Revised as of July 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 29CFR1926.914]

[Page 475-477]
 
                             TITLE 29--LABOR
 
CHAPTER XVII--OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT 
                                OF LABOR
 
PART 1926_SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION--Table of 
Contents
 
              Subpart U_Blasting and the Use of Explosives
 
Sec.  1926.914  Definitions applicable to this subpart.

    (a) American Table of Distances (also known as Quantity Distance 
Tables) means American Table of Distances for Storage of Explosives as 
revised and approved by the Institute of the Makers of Explosives, June 
5, 1964.
    (b) Approved storage facility--A facility for the storage of 
explosive materials conforming to the requirements of this part and 
covered by a license or permit issued under authority of the Bureau of 
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. (See 27 CFR Part 55)
    (c) Blast area--The area in which explosives loading and blasting 
operations are being conducted.
    (d) Blaster--The person or persons authorized to use explosives for 
blasting purposes and meeting the qualifications contained in Sec.  
1926.901.
    (e) Blasting agent--A blasting agent is any material or mixture 
consisting of a fuel and oxidizer used for blasting, but not classified 
an explosive and in which none of the ingredients is classified as an 
explosive provided the furnished (mixed) product cannot be detonated 
with a No. 8 test blasting cap when confined. A common blasting agent 
presently in use is a mixture of ammonium nitrate (NH4 
NO3) and carbonaceous combustibles, such as fuel oil or coal, 
and may either be procured, premixed and packaged from explosives 
companies or mixed in the field.
    (f) Blasting cap--A metallic tube closed at one end, containing a 
charge of one or more detonating compounds, and designed for and capable 
of detonation from the sparks or flame from a safety fuse inserted and 
crimped into the open end.

[[Page 476]]

    (g) Block holing--The breaking of boulders by firing a charge of 
explosives that has been loaded in a drill hole.
    (h) Conveyance--Any unit for transporting explosives or blasting 
agents, including but not limited to trucks, trailers, rail cars, 
barges, and vessels.
    (i) Detonating cord--A flexible cord containing a center core of 
high explosives which when detonated, will have sufficient strength to 
detonate other cap-sensitive explosives with which it is in contact.
    (j) Detonator--Blasting caps, electric blasting caps, delay electric 
blasting caps, and nonelectric delay blasting caps.
    (k) Electric blasting cap--A blasting cap designed for and capable 
of detonation by means of an electric current.
    (l) Electric blasting circuitry--
    (1) Bus wire. An expendable wire, used in parallel or series, in 
parallel circuits, to which are connected the leg wires of electric 
blasting caps.
    (2) Connecting wire. An insulated expendable wire used between 
electric blasting caps and the leading wires or between the bus wire and 
the leading wires.
    (3) Leading wire. An insulated wire used between the electric power 
source and the electric blasting cap circuit.
    (4) Permanent blasting wire. A permanently mounted insulated wire 
used between the electric power source and the electric blasting cap 
circuit.
    (m) Electric delay blasting caps--Caps designed to detonate at a 
predetermined period of time after energy is applied to the ignition 
system.
    (n) Explosives--(1) Any chemical compound, mixture, or device, the 
primary or common purpose of which is to function by explosion; that is, 
with substantially instantaneous release of gas and heat, unless such 
compound, mixture or device is otherwise specifically classified by the 
U.S. Department of Transportation.
    (2) All material which is classified as Class A, Class B, and Class 
C Explosives by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
    (3) Classification of explosives by the U.S. Department of 
Transportation is as follows:

    Class A Explosives. Possessing detonating hazard, such as dynamite, 
nitroglycerin, picric acid, lead azide, fulminate of mercury, black 
powder, blasting caps, and detonating primers.
    Class B Explosives. Possessing flammable hazard, such as propellant 
explosives, including some smokeless propellants.
    Class C Explosives. Include certain types of manufactured articles 
which contain Class A or Class B explosives, or both, as components, but 
in restricted quantities.

    (o) Fuse lighters--Special devices for the purpose of igniting 
safety fuse.
    (p) Magazine--Any building or structure, other than an explosives 
manufacturing building, used for the storage of explosives.
    (q) Misfire--An explosive charge which failed to detonate.
    (r) Mud-capping (sometimes known as bulldozing, adobe blasting, or 
dobying). The blasting of boulders by placing a quantity of explosives 
against a rock, boulder, or other object without confining the 
explosives in a drill hole.
    (s) Nonelectric delay blasting cap--A blasting cap with an integral 
delay element in conjunction with and capable of being detonated by a 
detonation impulse or signal from miniaturized detonating cord.
    (t) Primary blasting--The blasting operation by which the original 
rock formation is dislodged from its natural location.
    (u) Primer--A cartridge or container of explosives into which a 
detonator or detonating cord is inserted or attached.
    (v) Safety fuse--A flexible cord containing an internal burning 
medium by which fire is conveyed at a continuous and uniform rate for 
the purpose of firing blasting caps.
    (w) Secondary blasting--The reduction of oversize material by the 
use of explosives to the dimension required for handling, including 
mudcapping and blockholing.
    (x) Stemming--A suitable inert incombustible material or device used 
to confine or separate explosives in a drill hole, or to cover 
explosives in mud-capping.
    (y) Springing--The creation of a pocket in the bottom of a drill 
hole by the use of a moderate quantity of explosives in order that 
larger quantities or explosives may be inserted therein.

[[Page 477]]

    (z) Water gels, or slurry explosives--A wide variety of materials 
used for blasting. They all contain substantial proportions of water and 
high proportions of ammonium nitrate, some of which is in solution in 
the water. Two broad classes of water gels are: (1) Those which are 
sensitized by a material classed as an explosive, such as TNT or 
smokeless powder, and (2) those which contain no ingredient classified 
as an explosive; these are sensitized with metals such as aluminum or 
with other fuels. Water gels may be premixed at an explosives plant or 
mixed at the site immediately before delivery into the bore hole.
    (aa) Semiconductive hose. Semiconductive hose--a hose with an 
electrical resistance high enough to limit flow of stray electric 
currents to safe levels, yet not so high as to prevent drainage of 
static electric charges to ground; hose of not more than 2 megohms 
resistance over its entire length and of not less than 5,000 ohms per 
foot meets the requirement.

[44 FR 8577, Feb. 9, 1979; 44 FR 20940, Apr. 6, 1979, as amended at 58 
FR 35184 and 35311, June 30, 1993]