The Stratified Ironstone, Shale and Fireclay Mines (Explosives) Regulations 1956

PART VIII Miscellaneous additional provisions—mines in which locked safety-lamps are used

Application of Part VIII

43.  Except where the application thereof is further expressly limited, this Part of these regulations shall apply to every part of a mine being a part in which the use of lamps or lights other than permitted lights is unlawful.

Issue and use of detonators

44.  No person shall issue for use in, and no person shall take into or use in, part of a mine to which this Part of these regulations applies—

(a) (except in the case of a mine of fireclay) any detonator other than an electric detonator with a copper tube;

(b) any delay detonator having a period of delay exceeding five seconds.

Parts of mines in which only explosives approved by the Minister may be used

45.  No person shall, within fifteen feet of any waste below ground in any part of a mine to which this Part of these regulations applies, being waste in which there is not constantly produced ventilation adequate for the purposes specified in subsection (1) of section fifty-five of the Act, use any explosive other than explosive of a type and description approved by the Minister for use in places hazardous by reason of the presence or possibility of inflammable gas or of combustible dust.

Additional qualifications—shot firers and persons appointed to fire shots by fuse

46.  Without prejudice to the generality of Part II of these regulations, no person shall, with respect to any part of a mine to which this Part of these regulations applies, be qualified to be appointed or to be a shot firer or person appointed to fire shots by fuse unless he has within the last preceding five years obtained a certificate that he was then able to make accurate tests for inflammable gas (so far as is practicable with a flame safety-lamp) being a certificate granted—

(a) by a university or university college; or

(b) by a school, college or institution maintained or assisted by a local education authority; or

(c) in any other manner approved for the purpose by an inspector.

Shot firing apparatus

47.  Without prejudice to the generality of regulation two, no person shall fire a shot in any part of a mine to which this Part of these regulations applies except by means of electric shot firing apparatus, and after the expiration of two years from the date of commencement of these regulations no person shall fire a shot by means of any such apparatus unless it is of a specification approved by the Minister—

(a) if shots are to be fired in a round, for multi-shot firing with all explosives; or

(b) in any other case, for single-shot firing with all explosives:

Provided that if an inspector is of opinion in any case that it is expedient to allow the firing of a number of shots in a round for which no multi-shot firing apparatus has been approved, he may by notice served on the manager of the mine authorise the use therefor of electric shot firing apparatus specified in the notice.

Sheathed explosives

48.  No person shall take into or use in any part of a mine to which this Part of these regulations applies any explosive having been sheathed explosive from which any part of its external sheath has been removed, and no person shall therein remove from any sheathed explosive any part of its external sheath.

Precautionary examinations

49.—(1) No person shall fire a shot in any part of a mine to which this Part of these regulations applies unless he has carried out with respect to it an examination for general safety and tests for the presence of inflammable gas in accordance with the following provisions of this regulation. Every such test for inflammable gas shall be made with—

(a) a locked flame safety-lamp—

(i) (in the case of a mine of shale) of a type approved by the Minister;

(ii) (in the case of any other mine) of a type approved by the Minister for the purpose of deputies' inspections; or

(b) a methanometer of a type approved by the Minister; or

(c) other apparatus of a type approved by the Minister for the purpose.

(2) No person shall fire a shot or charge a shot hole in any such part of a mine if on any such test made with respect to it he finds a percentage of inflammable gas exceeding one and a quarter per cent. or he can see an indication of gas on the lowered flame of a safety-lamp.

(3) If a person intends to fire a shot in any such part of a mine he shall—

(a) immediately before the shot hole is charged, carry out an examination for general safety and test for the presence of inflammable gas—

(i) in the vicinity and at the mouth of the shot hole;

(ii) throughout every accessible place within thirty feet thereof;

(b) immediately before firing, test for the presence of inflammable gas in the vicinity of the shot hole and at the edge of any waste opposite.

Use of safety fuse with attached igniter in mines of shale

50.  Notwithstanding anything in regulation forty-four or forty-seven, if an inspector is of opinion that it is expedient to allow the firing of shots in any part of a mine to which this Part of these regulations applies, being a mine of shale, by means of safety fuse ignited by means of an igniter contained in a tube and attached to the fuse in such manner as to form a completely closed chamber, he may by notice served on the manager—

(a) exempt that part of the mine from the application of the said regulation forty-four; and

(b) authorise the firing of shots therein by those means.