When blasting down mat in top slice stopes or in other heavily timbered stopes; the timbers shall be ___________ before blasting.

When blasting down mat in top slice stopes or in other heavily timbered stopes; the timbers shall be ___________ before blasting.

• A. Watered
• B. Dried
• C. Painted
• D. Soaked

Answer: (A)

Dampening the timber before blasting in heavily timbered stopes minimizes fire and heat risk from the blast. Watering the timbers cools them and makes them less prone to ignition from sparks, hot fragments, or rock fragments released by the blast. A damp surface also helps absorb some blast energy and reduces the chance that wood will ignite or degrade in the immediate aftermath. Dried timber would be more flammable, painted timber doesn’t provide the necessary cooling and can introduce fumes when heated, and soaking the timbers to the point of saturation isn’t necessary for the safety goal. Hence, watering the timbers before blasting is the prudent practice.

Dampening the timber before blasting in heavily timbered stopes minimizes fire and heat risk from the blast. Watering the timbers cools them and makes them less prone to ignition from sparks, hot fragments, or rock fragments released by the blast. A damp surface also helps absorb some blast energy and reduces the chance that wood will ignite or degrade in the immediate aftermath. Dried timber would be more flammable, painted timber doesn’t provide the necessary cooling and can introduce fumes when heated, and soaking the timbers to the point of saturation isn’t necessary for the safety goal. Hence, watering the timbers before blasting is the prudent practice.