Flyrock, or wild flyrock, is rock that is ejected from the
blast site
Blast or The Blast may refer to:
*Explosion, a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner
*Detonation, an exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front
Film
* ''Blast'' (1997 film), ...
in a controlled
explosion
An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...
in
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
operations. The term refers in particular to rock that flies beyond the blast site, causing injuries to people and damage to property. This is considered a significant issue in mining; between 1994 and 2005, 32 miners were injured by flyrock.
Flyrock can vary in mass from marble-sized to car-sized.
Accident data from the
Mine Safety and Health Administration
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) () is a large agency of the United States Department of Labor which administers the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) to enforce compliance with mandatory safet ...
indicate that flyrock and lack of blast area security were the main causes of blasting-related injuries in
surface mining
Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...
. Fatal injuries due to lack of blast area security were caused mainly by failure to clear the blast area or inadequate access control to the blast area.
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nioshtic-2/20024383.html, title=NIOSHTIC-2 Publications Search - 20024383 - Fatal accidents due to flyrock and lack of blast area security and working practices in mining., website=www.cdc.gov, language=en-us, access-date=2017-01-24] Proper planning can reduce the incidence of flyrock.
See also
*
Stone damage
Stone damage, or stone-chip, is the damage that gravel and small stones can make to a vehicle.
Stone damage is most common on roads on which the allowed speed exceeds , since stones stuck in the tires come loose at that speed and fly away with s ...
, damage to vehicles from flying gravel and small stones in traffic
References
''This incorporates public domain content from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention''.
Mine safety