Transportation, Storage and Handling (Ammonium Nitrate and related explosives)

Explosives must be transported, stored, handled and used in conformity with all

applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations.

For recommended good practices in transporting, storing, handling and using this

product, some of the concepts are explained here :

The Australian Explosive Code (AEC) has been developed by the federal

Government under dangerous goods act and governs the transport of explosive by road

and rail. Under the AEC code the explosive and their ingredients are classifieds according

to an alpha-numeric code indicating the extent and type of hazards that they represent.

Examples include:

Detonators are 1.1B

Detonating Cord is 1.1D

Cast Boosters are 1.1D

Signal Tube is 1.4S

Ammonium Nitrate is 5.1

Emulsion pre-cursor is 5.1

ANFO is 1.1D

Emulsion Blends with ANFO are 1.1D

The letters in these codes indicate “compatibility groups”. Materials from different

compatibility groups cannot be stored together and the storage arrangement (types of

containers, their location and separation requirements) are the standards and regulations

as indicated below:

The Safety Library Publications of the Institute of Makers of Explosives

and/or consult the many publications that address transportation, storage and

handling of ammonium nitrate.

The Fertilizer Institute: AMMONIUM NITRATE Packaging, Handling,

Transportation, Storage and Use.

Bureau of Mines: I 28.23:6773 Explosive Hazards of Ammonium Nitrate Under

Fire Exposure.

International Fertilizer Industry Association: Handbook for the Safe Storage

of AMMONIUM NITRATE Based Fertilizers.

Institute of Makers of Explosives: Recommendations for the Transportation of

Explosives, Division 1.5 & AMMONIUM NITRATE Emulsions, Division 5.1 Bulk

Packaging.The procedure for transportation, Storage and Handling (explosive and blasting

accessories) is discussed below:

Ammonium Nitrate:

Ammonium Nitrate prills are generally handled in bulk, packed into one tonne

“bulker bags” or smaller 25 Kg bags that can be handled manually. And bulk storage is

provided in the form of “squash courts” or concrete bays in a protective sheds or in bins.

Bulk transport is usually undertaken using shipping containers which can be loaded onto

conventional semi-trailers for road transport and unloaded into mine site secure storage

yards. These containers are then withdrawn from storage yards as required and the

content is tipped into and auger cute for transportation into overhead bins directly into an

explosive manufacturing vehicle.

Emulsions :

Emulsions are generally manufactured in regional centres or mining hubs where reasonable road access is available to individual mine sites. Emulsions are transported and stored in tanks protected in the same security enclosures as provided for prilled ammonium nitrate Each type of emulsion need to be stored and transport I its own equipment as they cannot be mixed, these manufacture simply involves bringing the ingredients together so that they can be mixed in the appropriate proportions. This either undertaken as a batch process or else the ingredients are mixed at the point of delivery at the blast hole.

Blasting Accessories :

The transport and storage requirements f packed explosive, primers; detonators detonating cord and signal tube are prescribed in the Australia Explosive Code, the Australia Standard AS 2187.1 and state Government Acts and Regulation. It is the responsibility of the supplier to safely transport these materials to the customer and it is the responsibility of the customer to appropriately store and apply these materials to their business activities. Over an above these safety and legislative requirements define the authorisation required for the people who handle and manage these materials.

Unauthorized access to industrial grade AMMONIUM NITRATE and other

EXPLOSIVE must be denied at each step during transportation and storage.

Some of the steps that have to be taken whilst using the explosive in the mine

ALWAYS rotate inventory by using the oldest product first.

ALWAYS choose bins and tanks that are designed to keep the weight of the bulk

material from compacting into transfer augers that are located directly beneath

them.

ALWAYS empty and clean bulk tanks and bins routinely to prevent product

build-up on walls.

ALWAYS minimize inventory during warm weather and high humidity

conditions. Packaged product may harden with temperature cycling; bulk material

may cake, lump or break down (fines).

ALWAYS keep prilled ammonium nitrate dry. Choose transportation, processing

and storage containers or equipment without openings though which water or

moisture can enter.

The figure shows the suggested layout from AS2187.1, the Australia Standard for explosives.

‘

Underground Delivery:

The delivery of explosive to underground blast patterns also involves a wide range of technologies and scale. The simplest system involve the transport of bagged ANFO on suitable transport vehicles and charging using compressed air driven “blow loaders”. Similarly cartridges or packed explosive may be hand placed and tamped in the traditional manner. Emulsion delivery system consist o tank and pumping units that can be carried on suitable transport vehicles. More recent developments involve sophisticated purpose built transport and delivery system like those shown in figure (scan 107 pic)

Site Security

The company’s security service should know details of mine site secure storage facility, including type and dimensions of structure, number and type of doors and windows, type of lock etc. SSAN (security sensitive ammonium nitrate) must be in a secure store under lock and key or constant surveillance – refer to definitions. Ideally, a suitable padlock should be pick protected and shackle protected (e.g. concealed shackle using case hardened steel body with raised shoulders) and not be re-keyable. Ideally a padlock should also be bolt cutter resistant and have protection against the lock being drilled out. Further information regarding padlock specifications and locksets for doors in buildings can be found in. Australian Standards AS 4154.4 – 2002 and AS 4154.2 – 1993 respectively. IBCs in the open

As an exception to the above requirement, Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) are permitted in open air/ uncontained/outdoor compounds as long as:

the IBCs are sealed with tamperproof seals so that theft of product is easily detectable; and

a security fence is in place. (The chain wire part of the fence should be at least 2000 mm high and separated from the nearest IBCs by at least 3000 mm. It should be galvanised with both selvedge’s twisted and barbed, capped with three rows of barbed wire at 150 mm spacing.

Procedures for supervised and unsupervised access to the secure store of SSAN must be developed and checks put in place to monitor the effectiveness of these controls.

Persons having unsupervised access to the secure store should be clearly identified in the security plan. These people will require a police and PMV check. They may supervise the access of others to the secure store or the defined security area.

A ‘key plan’ should exist that identifies who has access to the keys to the secure store and where the keys are securely kept. Minimum requirement 6: Record keeping and inventory procedures.

There must be systems and procedures in place to record:

purchases/acquisitions and sales/supply of SSAN, to ensure that changes in custody occur only between licence holders;

movements of SSAN into and out of the secure store, so that reconciliation is possible; and

security incidents, including thefts, attempted thefts, unexplained losses, sabotage or attempted sabotage, break ins, attempted break-ins and any other security incidents, so that these incidents are recorded, investigated and reported to the regulatory authority and the police.