Blast Management Plan

Purpose. This plan sets the controls for the design, loading, firing and post-blast inspection of every blast at the quarry and the open cut, and for the storage, transport and security of explosives.

1.Scope

This plan applies to all drilling and blasting at Wattle Creek and the Deepridge open cut, to the magazine at each site, and to every person involved in explosives handling, blast guarding or working near a blast. It is the principal hazard management plan for explosives.

2.Blast design and approval

Every blast must be designed by the shotfirer from the drill hole survey and the blast design software, checked for vibration and overpressure limits at the nearest sensitive receiver, and approved by the Quarry and Open Cut Manager before loading. Blasts near infrastructure or the boundary require a blast survey and the client's or neighbour's notification.

3.Explosives storage, transport and security

Explosives must be stored only in the licensed magazine, issued and returned against the magazine register, transported on site in the explosives vehicle by a licensed person, and never left unattended on the bench. Detonators and explosives must be transported and stored separately. Any loss or theft must be reported to the police and the regulator immediately.

• Magazine locked and keys controlled by the shotfirer
• Magazine register reconciled after every issue and return
• Explosives vehicle inspected before every use
• No mobile phones or two-way transmission within the loading exclusion zone

4.Loading and firing

The loading crew must hold the required licences and authorisations. The exclusion zone must be set with sentries at each access, radio checks completed, and the all clear given by each sentry before the shotfirer fires. The blast must be fired within the approved window and only when wind, weather and dust conditions are within the trigger levels.

5.Post-blast

The shotfirer must inspect the blast for misfires, fume and unstable ground before declaring the area safe. A misfire must be managed under the misfire procedure and recorded. Blast vibration and overpressure results must be recorded against the blast and any exceedance reported to the HSE and Training Manager the same day.

6.Records

Every blast must have a blast report: design, loading sheet, exclusion zone plan, sentry sign-off, firing time, monitoring results and post-blast inspection. Reports are kept for seven years and are available to the regulator.