Mining Publication: A Review of Recent Accidents Involving Explosives Transport

Explosions and ammonium nitrate (AN) transport in the U.S. is very safe. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of explosive and AN transport in all parts of the world. The safe history of explosives and AN transport in the U.S. is due to diligent efforts by government, labor, and industry. However, accidents will become more common and disastrous if we become complacent. Most of the incidents described above involved AN and there was a delay between the time the accident occurred, the cargo caught fire, and the cargo exploded. There is a potential to significantly reduce injuries and fatalities if the time between the fire and explosion were used for evacuation rather than fighting the fire.