CHAPTER I

SHOT-FIRER CERTIFICATION RULES

  Section 1. Authority:

  The State Mine Inspector, pursuant to W.S.§30-2-205(a), is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations governing the certification and supervision of Wyoming mine shot-firers.

  Section 2. Definitions

  (a) Hands-on Experience: Shall mean practical work experience involving the loading of holes, the charging of holes, the tamping of holes, the tying in of shots, the proper handling of explosives, the proper transportation of explosives and the firing of shots.

  (b) Mine Engineering Experience: shall mean a four (4) year degree in mine engineering from an accredited engineering school and has two (2) years of actual engineering experience in the areas of shot-design and shot-planning.

  (c) Metal/Non Metal: shall mean any mine other than a coal mine.

  (d) Direct Supervision: shall mean supervision by any Wyoming certified shot-firer who is physically present at the blasting or shot-firing site and who has been notified that he is the shot-firer in charge of that blasting or shot-firing operations at that blasting or shot-firing site.

  Section 3. Certificate Required

  (a) No individual shall perform any act specifically authorized for a shot-firer nor function as a shot-firer unless that individual either holds a current shot-firer certification issued by the Wyoming State Mine Inspector or is under the direct supervision of a Wyoming certified shot- firer.

  (b) The State Mine Inspector shall certify any blaster or shot-firer who has successfully complete the Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division's Blaster Training Program.

  Section 4. Examination Requirement

  (a) An applicant for shot-firer's certification must have successfully completed an examination, which covers but is not limited to the safe storage, transportation, and use of any and all types of explosives used in the type of mining operation for which the applicant seeks certification, before the applicant can be certified as a shot-firer in that particular type of mining operation.

  Section 5. Application for Shot-Firer's Certification

  (a) An applicant for a shot-firer's certificate must file an application with the State Mine Inspector. Applicant shall furnish all information called for by the application form and such other and supplemental information as shall be requested by the State Mine Inspector.

  (b) An applicant may submit an application for a shot-firer's certification at anytime.

  (c) An applicant must file a separate application for each type of mining certification that applicant wishes to be tested on.

  (d) An applicant may withdraw his/her application for a shot-firer's certification by written request to the State Mine Inspector. An application withdrawn in this manner shall be considered withdrawn without prejudice.

  Section 6. Experience Requirement

  (a) To take the shot-firer's certification examination for a particular type of mining operation, an applicant is required to have, at a minimum, two (2) years of hands-on experience in that type of mining operation.

  (b) The State Mine Inspector shall give an applicant one (1) year experience credit for two (2) years mine engineering experience related to shot-design and shot-planning. An applicant may receive a maximum of one (1) year experience credit for applicant's mine engineering experience.

  (c) An applicant must submit, to the State Mine Inspector, verifiable documentation of either applicant's practical, hands-on experience or applicant's hands-on and mine engineering experience.

  Section 7. Types of Certifications

  (a) The following is a list of the types of mining operations in which a qualified applicant can obtain one or more certifications:

    (i) Surface Mine: Metal/Non-Metal

    (ii) Underground Mine: Coal

    (iii) Underground Mine: Metal/Non-Metal Gassy

    (iv) Underground Mine: Metal/Non-Metal Non-Gassy

  (v) Surface Mine: Coal

  (b) An applicant must take and successfully pass a separate examination for each type of mining operation that applicant wishes to be certified in.

  (c) Applicants for the surface mine-coal certification must successfully complete the Department of Environmental Quality, Land Quality Division's Blaster Training, Examination and Certification Program.

  Section 8. Examination

  (a) An applicant must meet all of the requirements set forth in W.S. 30-2-501 before taking the shot-firer's certification examination.

  (b) The shot-firer examination shall be administered to the qualified applicants by the State Mine Inspector or his deputies. The examination shall be administered at the convenience of the State Mine Inspector.

  (c) The certification examination shall consist of two parts: The written part, consisting of written questions; and the oral part, consisting of oral questions and practical demonstrations.

  Both the written and the oral parts shall cover but are not limited to the safe storage, transportation and use of any or all types of explosives used in the type of mining operation for which the applicant seeks certification.

  (d) Both the written and the oral parts of the examination shall be graded using answer keys designed for that purpose.

  (e) A minimum of 75% (seventy-five percent) correct answers on the written part and a minimum of 75% (seventy-five percent) correct answers on the oral part of the examination shall be considered a passing grade on the entire examination.

  (f) The examinations and answer keys are the property of and shall remain in the possession of the State Mine Inspector.

  Section 9. Notification of Results

  (a) An applicant shall be notified, through the U.S. Mail, of the his/her examination results within thirty (30) days of applicant's examination date.

  Section 10. Reexamination

  (a) An applicant who has failed the certification examination for a particular type of mine operation must wait six (6) months, from the date of the examination, to retake the examination for that same type of mine operation.

  (b) An applicant who has failed the shot-firer's certification examination for a particular type of mining operation shall be required to reapply before being permitted to retake the examination for that same type of mining operation.

  (c) An applicant, who has failed the examination and applies to retake the examination, shall be required to retake both the written and oral parts of the examination.

  Section 11. Appeals

  (a) An applicant is not allowed to appeal, to the State Mine Inspector, the examination or any part of the examination which the applicant has failed.

  (b) Notification to the applicant of an examination failure shall constitute a final agency decision.