Impact Sensitive Explosives damaged during delivery

What happened?

A pallet of Class 1 explosives fell approximately 1.2m from the rear of a delivery vehicle while being unloaded at a mine site. Work in the area ceased immediately and an exclusion zone established while the material was safely recovered. Class 1 explosives are impact sensitive and the impact of a fall could cause unplanned detonation or damage to the explosives. This is the third reported incident of this type in recent years and all authority holders should review their systems to prevent similar future incidents.

How did it happen?

The operator lost control of the pallet jack while manoeuvring a heavy pallet of detonating cord towards the rear of the vehicle for unloading. The pallet jack rolled under the weight of the pallet off the rear of the vehicle.

Key issues

Drivers in charge of the loading or unloading of explosives from vehicles didn’t take practicable precautions to ensure that the packages were moved safely.
Weight factors were not taken into account when the job was undertaken.
This is the third incident of this type in recent years.
Explosives of Class 1 are impact sensitive and the impact of the fall could have caused unplanned detonation or damage to the explosives

Recommendations

Authority holders should review their safety management system to verify the following:

Workers must be trained, assessed and monitored to ensure they understand and implement the control measures for the use of a pallet jack.
Ensure that training system is effective to verify that employees know and understand the hazards associated with transporting, storing and handling explosives.
Ensure that hazards such as weight, gradient and visibility are identified and adequate controls are put in place and monitored for effectiveness.
Ensure that procedures for the transport and handling of explosives adequately address the manufacturers recommendations and the requirements of the Australian Code for the Transport of Explosives by Road and Rail.
Refer to guidelines for pedestrian-operated forklifts (POFs) via this link

References and further information

Australian Code for the Transport of Explosives by Road and Rail

Queensland Explosives Inspectorate Explosives Safety Alert no. 42

Queensland Explosives Inspectorate Explosives Safety Alert no. 46

Queensland Explosives Inspectorate Explosives Safety Alert no. 57

Queensland Explosives Inspectorate Explosives Safety Alert no. 84

Queensland Explosives Inspectorate Explosives Safety Alert no. 95

Authorised by Dr. Snezana Bajic - deputy-chief-inspector-explosives

Contact: Haydn Isaac, Principal Inspector of Explosives – Northern operations , +61 7 3199 8023 explosives@rshq.qld.gov.au

Issued by Resources Safety & Health Queensland

Safety: This information is a guide only and is issued to promote safety through experience. It is not to be taken as a statement of law and must not be construed to waive or modify any legal obligation.

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All information on this page (Impact Sensitive Explosives damaged during delivery - https://www.rshq.qld.gov.au/safety-and-health-alerts/explosives/impact-sensitive-explosives-damaged-during-delivery2) is correct as of time of printing (Nov 5, 2026 11:38 pm).