California Code of Regulations › Title 8 - Industrial Relations › Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations › Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety › Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders › Group 18 - Explosive Materials › Article 114 - Storage of Explosive Materials › Section 5253 - Quantity and Distance Table for Storage of Ammonium Nitrate and Blasting Agents

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(a)
						The quantity of ammonium nitrate or ammonium nitrate based blasting agents that
						may be stored in any magazine shall conform to Table EX-2, Table of Separation
						Distances, in Section
						5252 which sets forth the minimum
						separation distances for ammonium nitrate and blasting agents from stores of
						high explosives or blasting agents. These distances apply to the separation of
						stores only. The American Table of Distances (See Table EX-1 in Section
						5252) shall be used in determining
						separation distances from inhabited buildings.
(b) When the ammonium nitrate and/or blasting
						agent is not barricaded the distances shown in Table EX-2 in Section
						5252 shall be multiplied by six.
						These distances allow for the possibility of high velocity metal fragments from
						mixers, hoppers, truck bodies, sheet metal structures, metal containers, and
						the like which may enclose the "donor." Where storage is in bullet-resistant
						magazines recommended for explosives or where the storage is protected by a
						bullet-resistant wall, distances and barricade thicknesses in excess of those
						prescribed in Table EX-1 in Section
						5252 and are not required. (See
						Section 5253.1 for bullet-resistant
						construction.)
(c) Earth, or sand
						dikes, or enclosures filled with the prescribed minimum thickness of earth or
						sand are acceptable artificial barricades. Natural barricades, such as hills or
						timber of sufficient density that the surrounding exposures which require
						protection cannot be seen from the "donor" when the trees are bare of leaves,
						are also acceptable.
(d) When the
						ammonium nitrate must be counted in determining the distances to be maintained
						from inhabited buildings, it shall be counted at l/2 its actual weight because
						its blast effect is lower.
NOTE: Ammonium nitrate by itself is relatively
						  insensitive and is widely used through the State as an agricultural fertilizer.
						  When used for blasting purposes, it is customary to sensitize the ammonium
						  nitrate by mixing it with carbonaceous materials such as coal dust, lamp black,
						  carbon black, wood pulp, diesel fuel, stove oil, or other materials containing
						  carbon. When mixed with carbonaceous materials, ammonium nitrate becomes much
						  more sensitive to fire, friction, and shock, so it takes on characteristics
						  resembling those of dynamite. For this reason, a mixture of ammonium nitrate
						  and carbonaceous material must be stored in compliance with regulations
						  governing storage of explosives. Burning ammonium nitrate produces oxides of
						  nitrogen which are very dangerous to breathe.
1.
						  Repealer and new section filed 10-17-75; effective thirtieth day thereafter
						  (Register 75, No. 42).
2. Amendments filed 7-16-76; effective
						  thirtieth day thereafter (Register 76, No. 29).
3. Amendment of
						  subsections (a) and (d) filed 9-18-80; effective thirtieth day thereafter
						  (Register 80, No. 38).
4. Amendment of section, including transfer
						  of section 5253 Table EX-2 to new section
						  5252 Table EX-2, filed 7-11-2003;
						  operative 8-10-2003 (Register 2003, No. 28).
Note: Authority cited: Section
							 142.3, Labor
							 Code. Reference: Section
							 142.3 Labor
							 Code.