2010 Tennessee Code
Title 68 - Health, Safety and Environmental Protection
Chapter 105 - Blasting and Explosives
68-105-104 - Blasting standards.
68-105-104. Blasting standards.
(a) In all blasting operations, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the maximum ground vibration at any dwelling, public building, school, church, or commercial or institutional building normally occupied adjacent to the blasting site shall not exceed the limitations specified in the following table:
Click to view table.
(b) In lieu of Table 1, a blaster has the option to use the graph shown in Figure A to limit peak particle velocity based upon the frequency of the blast vibration.
Click to view
(c) Unless a blaster uses a seismograph to monitor a blast to ensure compliance with Table 1 or Figure A, the operation shall comply with the scaled distance equations shown in Table 2.
Click to view table.
(d) Airblast resulting from blasting activities shall not exceed one hundred forty decibels (140dB) at the location of any dwelling, public building, school, church, or commercial or institutional building that is not owned or leased by the person engaged in the blasting operation, or on property for which the owner has not provided a written waiver to the person engaged in the blasting operation.
(e) In estimating the peak particle velocity at a particular position, the following formula shall be used: (Click here to view Equation)
where V0 is the maximum ground particle velocity at the seismograph, D0 is the distance of the seismograph from the blasting, and D is the distance from the blast to the position in question and in the same general direction. The distance D0 may not be greater than D, and D cannot be more than five (5) times D0.
(f) Blasting operations at permanent sites shall be considered as being within the limits set forth in this section if at specified locations, on at least five (5) blasts, instrumentation has shown the peak particle velocity and frequency to be within the limits of Figure A. Periodic seismic monitoring shall be employed to ensure compliance with applicable law.
[Acts 1975, ch. 93, § 4; T.C.A., §§ 53-6104, 68-44-104; 2007, ch. 231, § 4.]
Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Tennessee may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
