Objective

Prepare summary of regulatory requirements on the use of explosives and detonators in Canadian underground coal mines.

Summary

• Only explosives and detonators listed on the Natural Resources Canada website are approved for use in Canada: http://www.NRCan.gc.ca/mms/explosif/pub/publi_e.html#aulist Part 1a (Manufactured in Canada) and Part 2a (Manufactured Abroad)
• Explosives and Detonators approved for use in coal mines are identified in Column "iii". They are simply indicated with either a "1²" or a "2" alone.
• Only these approved products are considered permissible in Canadian coal mines and have been tested by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK (due to acceptability of the HSE testing facility/procedures).
• These explosives and detonators can be ordered from the company listed, assuming that they are continued to be manufactured.
• Products that are approved by MSHA are not automatically approved for use in Canadian coal mines.
• Importation into Canada of these items require a supplier or user to acquire an "Importation Permit" from NRCan's Explosives Regulatory Division.
• Following 9/11, there is now an extensive security check on any individual or company ordering explosives and detonators from the USA. The wait from ordering to delivery can stretch up to 3 months.

Follow-Up

• G. Corbett will ask NRCan's Explosive Regulatory Division to consider adding an index of symbols with the list of approved explosives and detonators.
• Undertake an investigation into the major differences between the testing specifications used by HSE in the UK and MSHA in the USA.
• Investigate possibility of allowing MSHA approved explosives and detonators to be used in Canadian underground coal mines.
• For additional information please contact G. Corbett at Tel: (613) 996-9065 , E-mail: gcorbett@NRCan.gc.ca or else contact NRCan's Explosives Regulatory Division directly.

G. Corbett and G. Bonnell
May 1, 2003