(1)The preparation of charges and the charging and stemming of holes shall be carried out by or under the personal supervision of a competent person, in these regulations referred to as a "shot-firer", who shall fire the shots himself.(2)No person shall be appointed to be a shot-firer unless he holds -(a)a Manager's Certificate or Overman's Certificate or a Sirdar's Certificate together with a gas-testing certificate in case of belowground mines; and(b)a Manager's Certificate, Overman's Certificate or a Sirdar's Certificate in the case of open cast working:Provided that, after coming into force of these regulations, shot-firer holding a Shot-firer's Certificate granted under regulation 12 of the Coal Mines Regulations, 1957, shall also deemed to be a shot-firer under this regulation.(3)The competent person appointed as shot-firer shall not be given any other duty nor any one performing any other duty shall be allowed to perform shot firng.(4)No person whose wages depend on the amount of coal, rock or debris obtained by firing shots, shall be appointed to perform the duties of a shot-firer.(5)The manger shall fix, from time to time, the maximum number of shots that a shot-firer may fire in any one shift and such number shall be based on:(a)the time normally require to prepare and fire a shot in accordance with the provisions of these regulations;(b)the time required for that shot-firer to move between places where shots are fired;(c)the assistance, if any, available to him in the performance of his said duties; and shall not in any case exceed,-(i)in the case of a gassy seam of second or third degree or a fiery seam, forty, if a single shot exploder is used and eighty, if a multi-shot exploder is used;(ii)in the case of other seams, fifty, if a single-shot exploder is used and hundred, if a multishot exploder is used;(iii)in the case of opencast mines, sixty, if a single shot exploder is used or if blasting is done with ordinary detonators and one hundred and twenty, if a multi-shot exploder is used:Provided that where special conditions exist, the Chief Inspector may by an order in writing and subject to such conditions as he may specify therein, permit number of shots to be fixed in variance with the aforesaid provisions.(6)The number of detonators issued to, and in the possession of, a shot-firer during his shift shall not exceed the maximum number of shots that he is permitted to fire under sub-regulation (5).
