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Explosive Safety Inspection Checklist

Explosive materials, particularly those which are considered to be weapons grade explosives, are extremely dangerous and must be both stored and handled with care. In order to make sure that explosives are stored safely it's wise to go down a safety checklist so that all possible situations are planned for and accidents don't happen.

  1. Storage Location

    • Whenever explosives are stored in a building, it's important that they be stored according to the American Table of Distances. This chart sets distances for how much of a given explosive can be stored in an area, and how far that storage area has to be away from locations such as other buildings, power lines, highways and other areas where accidental explosions could cause great harm. It's because of this chart that many weapons caches are stored in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing that could be hurt in an explosion.

    Combustible Materials

    • Keep flammable materials and liquids at least 50 feet from explosives and storage areas that house explosives. This is also important concerning lighter fluid, cigarette lighters or matches that people who enter an explosive warehouse might be carrying on their person. It's recommended that all such materials be kept far away from any actual explosives just to be safe.

    Signage

    • It's important that proper signage be posted to alert people that they're entering an area where explosives are present. Bright yellow or orange signs with the word "Explosives" should be posted on the door and on the walls. The signs should also have some sort of picture representing an explosion for those who may not understand the word. These signs are usually triangular, since that shape is meant to act as a warning to people.

    Safety Gear

    • If explosives are stored in canisters or packets, users don't need to wear safety gloves to handle them. It's very important that the handler's skin doesn't touch the chemicals on the explosives (including the "sweat," which are beads of high explosive that come through on some explosives such as old dynamite). Handlers may also want to wear breathing filters if the explosive is in powdered form and safety glasses to keep the material out of their eyes.

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