Safe Handling of Explosives

Abstract

There are four to five billion pounds of explosives produced annually in the United States [IME (1988)]. A relatively small portion is produced for military purposes (Figure 9.1.). The vast majority of explosives are produced for industrial use.mining (55% coal, 16% nonmetal, 17% metal), civil and petroleum engineering; and agriculture. Considering the large quantities of explosives produced each year, there are surprisingly few catastrophic accidents. The manufacturers and handlers of explosives have developed effective codes of safety. Explosives manufacturing now results in fewer accidents than the chemical industry as a whole, which, in turn, has less accidents than the mining or lumber industry [Cook (1958)]. A likely explanation is the perceived hazards associated with explosives. Explosives manufacturers and users have established stringent procedures in anticipation of the potentially severe consequences of the misuse of explosives. The best compilation of explosives accidents to 1980 can be found in History of Accidents in the Explosives Industryby G.S. Biasutti. Unfortunately, this book is a private publication which makes it difficult to find as well as to cite. Below is a tabulation of the accidents reported by Biasuttii and an update drawn from data collected by the Department of Defense (DoD) Explosive Safety Board. The two columns of accident statistics illustrate the changing use of explosives. Nitroglycerin (NG) was involved in many early accidents; but as of this writing, only one commercial nitroglycerin plant survives in the United States.