The level of protection required for any specific explosives activity, based on the

hazard class (accident

potential) for the explosives activity involved. Four hazard classes are defined
for explosives activities as
follows in definitions for explosives hazard classes I to IV.
Class I consists of those explosives activities that involve a high accident
potential; any personnel exposure
is unacceptable for Class I activities and they thus require remote operations. In
general, Class I would
include activities where energies that may interface with the explosives are
approaching the upper safety
limits, or the loss of control of the interfacing energy is likely to exceed the
safety limits for the explosives
involved. This category includes those research and development activities where
the safety implications
have not been fully characterized. Examples of Class I activities are screening,
blending, pressing, extrusion,
drilling of holes, dry machining, machining explosives and metal in combination,
some environmental testing,
new explosives development and processes, explosives disposal, and destructive
testing.
Class II consists of those explosives activities that involve a moderate accident
potential because of the
explosives type, the condition of the explosives, or the nature of the operations
involved. This category
consists of activities where the accident potential is greater than for Class III,
but the exposure of personnel
performing contact operations is acceptable. Class II includes activities where the
energies that do or may
interface with the explosives are normally well within the safety boundaries for
the explosives involved, but
where the loss of control or these energies might approach the safety limits of the
explosives. Examples of
Class II activities are weighing, some wet machining, assembly and disassembly,
some environmental
testing, and some packaging operations.
Class III consists of those explosives activities that represent a low accident
potential. Class III includes
explosives activities during storage and operations incidental to storage or
removal from storage.
Class IV consists of those explosives activities with insensitive high explosives
(IHE) or insensitive high
explosives subassemblies. Although mass detonating, this explosive type is so
insensitive that a negligible
probability exists for accidental initiation or transition from burning to
detonation. IHE explosions will be
limited to pressure ruptures of containers heated in a fire. Most processing and
storage activities with IHE
and IHE subassemblies are Class IV.eserved for mock explosives.