The four-day classroom-based programme is designed to benefit supervisors or managers who are responsible for blasting operations on-site, but who are not appointed as the Explosives Supervisor under the Quarry Regulations 1999, Reg 25.1(b).
The course has initially been designed to accommodate the demand for training in Northern Ireland but MP Skills says it will be available to the rest of the UK in the not-too-distant future.
Its aim is to provide learners with sufficient knowledge and understanding of blasting operations which will in turn, strengthen the ability to manage the undertaking of such, on-site.
It will also give delegates the level of understanding required to successfully complete the knowledge assessment criteria, for the MPQC Level 6 Award in Managing Quarry Drilling and Blasting Vocational Qualification (VQ).
Course content includes the use of explosives at quarries in Northern Ireland.
The will cover in particular legal context, licencing, operators duties, quarry development plan, appointments, duty holders, competence and geological features.
Other elments are: the chemistry of explosives, designing a blast from first principles and blast calculations; control of fly rock and borehole geometry; charging blast holes; profiling - interpretation and use; explosives - constituents and physical characteristics, types of explosives, bulk truck operations and disposal of explosives; initiation systems and initiation patterns; causes of misfires, recognition of misfires and misfire investigation; checking and approving blast specifications.
Learning will be delivered through short lectures, demonstrations, group discussions, case studies and practical instruction. Upon successful course completion, attendees will receive an MPQC Certificate of training.
