A man died when the primed charge he was holding against his chest exploded. He was doing legitimate explosive work, and he was following all the safety procedures he had been taught. He and his col-leagues had done this, thousands of times previously, with no ill effects. We investigated the materials and circumstances. The man had primed his charge prematurely. Moreover, this man's electric detonator was a type susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD). His actions, i.e. the procedure he followed, could build up significant electrostatic charge. We re-created this acci-dent. We recommend proper priming sequence. We recommend using only ESD-proof detonators. For han-dlers of explosives, we recommend new, simple procedures that will minimize buildup of electrostatic charge.
展开▼
