The Ministry of Environment & Water is initiating all efforts for the protection of the environment and for sustainable growth of the quarrying industry, and to preserve and conserve the natural resources in the United Arab Emirates.
Further to the ministerial decree (492) of 2008, and (110) of 2010, amendments have been made in this revi ......
2.1 The implementation of these regulations is applicable for all the new and existing quarries and crushers.
2.2 These regulations shall also apply to all the existing quarries and crushers of cement ......
All quarrying operations in the UAE must comply with the following regulations for their day to day quarry operations with respect to drilling, blasting, material handling, in-site hauling and transportation.
3.1 Drilling
3.1.1 All drilling equipment must be fitted with an efficient dust collection system. Proper disposal arrangements must be made for the fine dust collected in bags or filters.
3.1.2 All the drilling operators and supervising staff must adopt proper safety measures during drilling operations, including Personal Protection Equipment..
3.1.3 Hours of operation: Drilling operations can be carried out round the clock. If the quarry is located within 1 km from any local residential areas, the hours of operation must be restricted by the local competent authorities
. 3.1.4 All the drilling and ancillary equipment must be maintained in good working order to reduce fumes and noise
. 3.1.5 For large drilling equipment equipped with cab for operators, the cabs must have good sealing and fitted with dust filters and air conditioning
. 3.1.6 Secondary jackhammer drilling and blasting is prohibited to reduce the size of large boulders. Hydraulic breakers must be used for reducing the size of large rock boulders
3.2 Quarry Blasting
3.2.1 All rock blasting operations must be carried out by setting the optimum blasting parameters to reduce dust emissions, ground vibrations, air overpressure, fly rock and noise. Records of all the blasting parameters shall be maintained for better control and optimization. The parameters include Proper spacing of blast holes depending on hole diameter Maintaining a safe drilling angle for the quarry face Calculating optimum quantity of explosives for charging Use of delay detonators for reducing ground vibrations Maintaining proper stemming depth to minimize fly rock Avoid using detonator cords over the ground Maintain proper log of all the parameters The above parameters must be set by the blasting/ explosives expert in charge of the quarry.
. 3.2.2 All blasting operations must be supervised and carried out by competent personnel only, as per the guidelines/rules set by the Ministry of Interior
. 3.2.3 Blasting should not be carried out in adverse weather conditions. Avoid blasting when the wind direction is toward local residential areas.
. 3.2.4 Progressive warning signals by siren and red flags must be given prior to final detonation, to alert all the staff and public to keep more than 500 meters away from the blast area.
3.2.5 Ground vibrations and air over pressure must be monitored regularly during the blasting operations. The limits are given under Article (11). The measurements should be taken from a distance of 800 meters from the blasting face towards the nearest building or residential area. If the building or residential area is located less than 800 meters from the blasting face, then the measurements must be taken close to the foundation of the nearest building.
3.2.6 A report showing the total explosives consumption and average powder factor (tons of rock/kg. of explosive) along with the vibration and noise records must be submitted every month to the Ministry of Environment & Water.
3.3. Material Handling
Material handling shall include all the quarry operations related to cleaning of quarry face with bull dozers or excavators, loading of material by excavators / shovels to dumpers or trucks, use of hydraulic breakers for breaking large size rocks, etc.
3.3.1 Regular mechanical maintenance must be carried out on all the material handling equipment to cut down fumes and noise. Safe practices must be adopted at all times during the operations. Only licensed and trained operators shall operate the equipment.
3.3.2 All the equipment operator cabs must be properly sealed for dust and noise and fitted with air conditioning and dust filters.
3.3.3 All the grizzlies and rotary screens in the quarry area for grading the quarry run material shall be fully encapsulated with an efficient dust control system (Ref Article 7).
3.3.4 Dozing of quarry blasted material from higher levels (more than 20 meters from ground ......