39 DECEMBER 2024 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Explosives in the U.S. Adapted from Information by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) The oldest type of explosive material known is black powder, which was used in mining and rock blasting for road construction in the 1600s. Two centuries later, the development of nitroglycerin and dynamite led to advancements such as the construction of road tunnels and the invention of the seismometer to detect ground vibrations by earthquakes. Due to the potential misuse of these explosive materials to the detriment of public safety, the role of the ATF in protecting the public from unsafe or unsecure storage is vital. ATF’s jurisdiction over explosives extends to requiring licenses to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, and/or distributing explosives materials. An ATF permit is also required to ship, transport, or receive explosives. ATF regularly inspects the explosives storage magazines and records of explosives licensees and permittees to ensure compliance with federal explosives regulations. In addition to ATF, other agencies within the U.S. government regulate explosives under specific conditions, to include the jurisdiction of the following: j Hazardous materials (including explosives) while they are in transit, whether by rail, water, motor carrier, air, or other conventional means, which is managed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. j U.S. Coast Guard oversees explosives while they are in transit on any navigable waterways within the U.S. or within U.S. territorial limits on the high seas. j Mine Safety and Health Administration controls activities, including the use of explosives at mining sites, both-above and belowground, for coal and other metal/nonmetal mining. j Workers safety on the job, including the use of explosives at jobsites, or while under manufacture or other processing of the explosive materials is managed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration. j U.S. Department of Defense regulates explosives when they are used by the military, or on behalf of the military pursuant to a contract between an explosives supplier and any of the various military departments of the U.S. j Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) handles consumer fireworks, which are not subject to ATF control under 27 C.F.R., Part 555, the Federal Explosives Regulations. CPSC is also concerned with the distribution, possession, and use of illegal fireworks. j U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program identifies and watches over high-risk chemical facilities to ensure they have security measures in place to reduce the risks associated with these chemicals. The ATF is charged with enforcing the federal explosives and arson law, and the explosives industry is currently made of about 9300 federal explosives licensees and permittees. EXB
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