(MTP Ordinance No. 4219, December 20, 2022)
SUMMARY
19.1 Objective
19.2 Scope
19.3 General Provisions
19.4 Manufacturing of Explosives
19.5 Storage of Explosives
19.6 Transportation of Explosives
Annex I – Health and Safety in the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Devices Industry and Trade
Annex II – Tables of Quantities-Distances
Annex III – Incompatibility Groups for Storage and Transport
Glossary
19.1 Objective
19.1.1 This Regulatory Standard (NR) aims to establish the requirements and preventive measures to ensure the health and safety conditions of workers at all stages of the manufacture, handling, storage, and transportation of explosives.
19.2 Scope
19.2.1 This standard applies to all activities related to the manufacture, handling, storage, and transportation of explosives.
19.3 General Provisions
19.3.1 For the purposes of this Standard, an explosive is considered to be any material or substance that, when initiated, undergoes very rapid decomposition into more stable products, with a large release of heat and sudden development of pressure.
19.3.2 The activities of manufacturing, handling, storing, and transporting explosives must comply with this standard and the explosive regulatory framework of the Directorate of Controlled Products Supervision of the Brazilian Army.
19.3.3 The manufacture of explosives within the urban perimeter of cities, towns, or villages is prohibited.
19.3.4 Organizations must maintain, in manufacturing, commercial, and storage facilities for explosives, maximum quantities of explosives in accordance with Annex II of this standard.
19.3.4.1 The distances specified in Annex II of this standard may be reduced by half in the case of barricaded depots.
19.3.5 The Risk Management Program (PGR) of organizations that manufacture, store, and transport explosives must include, in addition to what is provided in NR-1, the risk factors for fire and explosion and the implementation of the respective preventive measures.
19.4 Manufacturing of Explosives
19.4.1 The manufacturing of explosives is only permitted to organizations holding a Certificate of Conformity approved by the Brazilian Army.
19.4.2 Hazardous areas in explosive manufacturing plants, as defined by the organization’s technical manager or a legally qualified safety professional, must have permanent electronic monitoring in accordance with the explosive regulations of the Directorate of Controlled Products Supervision of the Brazilian Army.
19.4.3 The land where the set of buildings of organizations that manufacture explosives is located must be provided with an appropriate fence and separation between manufacturing, storage, and administrative areas.
19.4.3.1 Activities where explosives are placed in casings, such as cartridge filling, must be carried out in isolated locations, with no more than four workers inside at the same time.
19.4.4 The manufacturing locations for explosives must be:
a) maintained in perfect condition;
b) adequately ventilated;
c) constructed with non-combustible walls and ceilings and anti-static floors;
d) equipped with grounded equipment and, if necessary, special electrical safety installations;
e) provided with fire-fighting systems suitable for their intended purposes, in accordance with state legislation and current national technical standards; and
f) free of combustible or flammable materials.
19.4.5 In handling explosives, it is prohibited to:
a) use tools or utensils that may generate sparks or heat from friction;
b) smoke or engage in any act that could produce fire or sparks;
c) wear shoes studded with nails or external metal parts; and
d) keep objects that are not directly related to the activity.
19.4.6 In locations where explosives are handled, raw materials that pose an explosion risk must be kept in the smallest possible quantities, with a maximum of material for four hours of work.
19.5 Storage of Explosives
19.5.1 The storage of explosives must be carried out in depots, permanent or temporary, built for this purpose.
19.5.1.1 In the case of magazines or permanent depots, the walls must be double, made of masonry or concrete, with empty intervals between them of at least 0.50 m (fifty centimeters).
19.5.2 Explosive depots must meet the following requirements:
a) be constructed of non-combustible and poor heat-conducting materials, on firm, dry land, safe from flooding;
b) be appropriately ventilated; and
c) be equipped with adequate external signs.
19.5.3 Explosive depots must have permanent electronic monitoring in accordance with the explosive regulations of the Directorate of Controlled Products Supervision of the Brazilian Army.
19.5.4 The minimum distances to be observed in relation to inhabited buildings, railways, highways, and other depots, to determine the quantities of explosives and accessories that may be stored in an explosive depot, are specified in the Quantity-Distance Tables (Annex II).
19.5.5 Product number 3.2.0120 – chemical powders of any type, according to the criteria of the United Nations (UN) and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS), should be classified as flammable solids when:
I – stored in quantities of up to 20 kg (twenty kilograms), inclusive;
II – packaged in containers made of low-resistance material (glass, plastic, ceramic, etc.); and
III – the column height inside these containers is less than thirty centimeters.
19.5.5.1 If the conditions described in items I to III are met, the application of the Quantity-Distance Tables (Annex II) is waived.
19.5.6 The storage capacity of depots will take into account the following factors:
I – dimensions of the explosive packages to be stored;
II – maximum stacking height;
III – maximum occupancy of 60% (sixty percent) of the area, to allow for personnel circulation inside the depot and the separation of boxes from the walls; and
IV – a minimum distance of 0.70 m (seventy centimeters) between the depot ceiling and the top of the stack.
19.5.6.1 Knowing the quantity of explosives to be stored, based on the quantity-distance tables, the area of the explosive depot can be determined using the following formula: A = N.S/0.6.E
A – internal area in square meters;
N – number of boxes to be stored;
S – surface area occupied by one box, in square meters; and
E – number of boxes that will be stacked vertically.
19.5.7 The storage of different types of explosives must follow the incompatibility group specified in Annex III of this standard.
19.5.8 Explosive accessories can be stored with explosives in the same explosive depot, provided they are isolated and comply with the maximum quantities specified in the Tables in Annex II of this standard.
19.5.9 The storage of explosives in the same explosive depot is prohibited:
I – with initiating accessories;
II – with powders; or
III – with fireworks or other pyrotechnic articles.
19.5.10 In the storage of explosives in boxes, the stacking must be kept away from the walls and ceiling and on non-combustible material.
19.5.11 The electrical installations of explosive depots must be specific for classified areas.
19.5.12 Explosives from different organizations can be stored in the same explosive depot, provided that:
I – the products are visibly separated and identified;
II – the movements of entry and exit are individualized; and
III – comply with the storage safety rules specified in this standard.
19.5.13 For the application of the Quantity-Distance Tables (Annex II), the following will be considered:
I – as a single construction, the explosive depots whose distances between each other are less than those specified in the Quantity-Distance Tables (Annex II); or
II – as individual units, the explosive depots whose distances between each other are equal to or greater than those specified in the Quantity-Distance Tables (Annex II).
19.5.13.1 The quantities of explosives stored in the case of item I will be the sum of the quantities stored in each of the explosive depots.
19.5.13.2 If the explosive depots contain incompatible materials, the most restrictive Table should be adopted.
19.6 Transportation of Explosives
19.6.1 The transportation of explosives must comply with the general provisions according to the mode of transport to be used:
I – road transport: norms of the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT);
II – maritime, river, or lake transport: norms of the National Waterway Transport Agency (ANTAQ); and
III – air transport: norms of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC).
19.6.2 For the transportation of explosives, the following general provisions must be observed:
a) the material to be transported must be properly packaged in regulatory packaging;
b) the loading and unloading services must be supervised by a worker who has been trained, under the terms of NR-1, under the responsibility of the technical manager of the manufacturing organization or a legally qualified safety professional;
c) all equipment used in loading, transporting, and unloading services must be checked for safety conditions;
d) explosive signs must be affixed in visible places on the transport vehicle;
e) the material must be arranged and secured in the vehicle to provide safety and facilitate inspection;
f) ammunition, powders, explosives, initiating accessories, pyrotechnic devices, and other pyrotechnic articles must be transported separately;
g) the material must be protected from moisture and direct sunlight;
h) it is forbidden to hit, drag, roll, or throw explosive containers;
i) before unloading the materials, the designated storage area must be examined;
j) the use of lighting systems that are not specific to classified areas, matches, lighters, devices, and tools capable of producing flames or sparks in loading, unloading, and transport areas is prohibited;
k) except in special cases, according to the risk analysis of the operation, the loading and unloading of explosives must be done during the day and in good weather conditions; and
l) when it is necessary to load or unload explosives at night, only lanterns and electric spotlights specific to classified areas should be used.
19.6.3 The transportation of explosives within the national territory must be carried out in a closed body type vehicle or container equipment, except for transport associated with perforation operations.
19.6.4 Explosives can be transported with initiating accessories, provided that the initiating accessories are in a compartment or a safety box, isolated from the other transported products; and in packaging that prevents the risk of friction or mechanical shock.
19.6.4.1 The safety compartment must have:
a) steel plate shielding; and
b) internal wood lining, preferably marine plywood, to prevent friction.
19.6.4.2 The safety box must have:
a) steel plate shielding (minimum thickness of 4.8 mm, AISI 1020 steel);
b) thermal lining (minimum thickness of 10 mm);
c) internal wood/plywood lining (minimum thickness of 6 mm); and d) locks.
19.6.4.3 The safety box must be placed in the vehicle’s body in an easily accessible location; its inviolability must be preserved; and the top part of the box must be free from stackings.
19.6.4.4 In the case of Mobile Pumping Unit, the products must be transported in different safety compartments or boxes and on opposite sides of the body, allowing for their isolation.
19.6.5 Transport vehicles for explosives must have:
I – effective communication with the organization responsible for the transport;
II – real-time vehicle tracking system, via GPS, allowing its location;
III – remote intervention devices that allow the control and blocking of door openings; and
IV – a panic button, directly connected to the organization responsible for the transport.