OF is correct...as far as I understand it. I'll show the mister the questions and answers when he gets home and see what he says. It may even be different types of explosives to compensate for ground conditions and location ruling (ie: wet, deeper than usual, zoning laws for particular areas in the pit...etc.)...but then that's speculation on my part.

LOL@Steph! You must have minimal testosterone cause I don't know of one single guy that doesn't get a woody at this shit! Danger/schmanger!

However...Mr. Lixy is very cautious with each and every blast. Despite the fact that he CAN'T have fly rock, and that his blasts should just heave the ground up into a mound, there have been those times when he can let his freak flag fly. But usually he is situated in a populated area. At times he is blasting as close as 50 feet away from an existing structure[s] or in the newer phases of housing developments. It makes his job a bit harder than quarry blasts because he can't rock the surrounding buildings. He has to set up seismographs, inform homeowners of times of actual blasts, have irrate homeowners call authorities on him...etc.

He even once had a crazy woman come out and walk up to his loaded shot and stand on it and refuse to move. He ended up calling the cops who called the fire marshall who called ATF...all the while this woman would not get off the loaded and unshot shot. Before ATF got there they asked Mr. Lixy if he could just unload the shot...and the answer was a resounding NO! The only way to unload a shot is to poke down a hole with explosives in it and hope you don't blow up. If holes are loaded...they get blown up...no if's, ands or buts!

I think his job is much more stressful than quarry blasters, considering the restrictions and limitations. There are days he dreads going to work knowing the conditions will be precarious and many people will be watching him to make sure his shot doesn't break the rules of the particular area.

Once, he was drilling and blasting very close to a M.R.I. facility. Those machines cannot have any shaking going on so they had to schedule patients around the blasts and vice-versa. Another time he was blasting less than 20 feet from a historical church...removing rock for an addition to it's basement. Still another time that stands out in my mind was a new shopping center blast. He had to have cops come in and hold traffic at an intersection of two of the busiest highways other than the turnpike. In an instant the roads were backed up for a mile or more. Hubby had to make sure the shot was ready to go the second the cops stopped the traffic and only had one chance to do it right. The cops seemed to get a kick out of creating a traffic jam and loved being front and center to see the blast. Mr. Lixy was a bundle of nerves. But he says that's good. To NOT be overconfident and cocky is good because you keep perspective and don't take bravado chances.

Anyway...glad you are enjoying the vids!

__________________
Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~