Underground Development Shotfirer

A four or five day course to enable experienced development charge-up crew members to obtain accredited shotfirer training.

The course provides the skills required by the shotfirer to manage all aspects of explosives storage, transport and use in underground metalliferous development blasting and in underground construction tunnelling. The course is structured around nineteen study units each focused on a specific key element of shotfiring in the underground environment.

The course is structured for delivery on site with forty hours of theory delivery and assessment. A further day is generally required to complete the practical component and this requires access to magazines, explosives transport vehicles and a development blasting environment.

Trainees are required to submit a log book detailing their recent drill and blast experience and should have, as a minimum, two months experience on charge-up in a development or production drill and blast operation.

The production blasting units are an additional component of the development training course. These units are designed to provide stop chargers and ring firers with the supplementary skills for these specialised tasks. The underground production training units can replace the development units in a four day course or be delivered as additional units.

Successful trainees receive a statement of attainment comprising the following units of competency:

For development, stope and ring firing shotfirers:
RIIBLA205A Store, handle and transport explosives
RIIBLA305A Conduct secondary blasting
RIIBLA303A Conduct underground development shotfiring
RIIBLA304A Conduct underground production shotfiring