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 These containers are then withdrawn from storage yards as required and the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