A supervisor of the transportation by road of goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives, or, if there is no such supervisor, the supervisor of the loading of the goods, shall plan in advance the route to be followed by the vehicle or convoy in which the goods are to be transported and shall, as far as practicable, plan a route that does not pass through closely populated areas or pass along a street or road that carries an electric tramway.
Compulsory halts.
23.—(1.) Where goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported on a vehicle by road and, on a particular day, the distance to be travelled is greater than fifteen miles, the vehicle shall be halted for a period of ten minutes in the first available area in which there are no adjacent buildings—
(a) after the vehicle has travelled the first seven miles on that day; and
(b) at the end of each one hundred minutes of travelling during that day subsequent to that first halt.
(2.) Where a vehicle in which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported by road is not halted as required by the last preceding sub-regulation, the supervisor, if any, of the transportation and the driver of the vehicle shall each be deemed to have contravened this regulation.
Inspection by driver.
When a vehicle, including a vehicle in a convoy, is halted as required by the last preceding regulation, the driver of the vehicle and the attendant, if any, travelling on the vehicle shall immediately inspect the vehicle to determine—
(a) that the vehicle is in a serviceable condition;
(b) that the load is secure and intact; and
(c) that undue heat is not generated by movement of the load, rubbing of the tyres on the vehicle, deflation of the tyres, faulty brake adjustment or from any other cause.
Discovery of defects.
25.—(1.) If the driver of a vehicle, or an attendant travelling on a vehicle, on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported by road under the supervision of a supervisor discovers a defect in or damage to the vehicle or goods, he shall forthwith report the defect or damage to the supervisor.
(2.) If a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported, or those goods, becomes or become defective or suffers or suffer damage—
(a) the driver of the vehicle shall forthwith remedy the defect or damage if it is not serious and can be remedied without undue delay or danger to the vehicle or to any other vehicle; and
(b) the driver of the vehicle shall not proceed on the journey while the defect or damage continues to exist unless the driver, or, if the transportation is under the supervision of a supervisor, the supervisor, is of the opinion that the defect or damage does not affect the safety of the vehicle or of any other vehicle.
Major defects.
26.—(1.) If a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported, or those goods, becomes or become defective or suffers or suffer damage, and the defect or damage cannot be remedied by the driver of the vehicle without undue delay or danger to the vehicle or to other vehicles—
(a) the vehicle shall, if possible, be moved as close as practicable to the side of the road and away from the vicinity of any buildings;
(b) passing traffic shall be warned to slow down;
(c) the nearest police station shall be advised;
(d) the consignor or the consignee of the goods, whichever can be more conveniently communicated with, shall be advised of the defect or damage as soon as possible; and
(e) the vehicle and the goods shall be dealt with in accordance with the instructions, if any, of the consignor or the consignee, as the case may be.
(2.) If a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported, or those goods, catches or catch fire, the requirements of the last preceding sub-regulation shall be complied with and, in addition—
(a) appropriate action shall be taken to extinguish the fire and, if the fire cannot be readily extinguished, approaching traffic shall be stopped at a safe distance; and
(b) the nearest police station and fire brigade shall, if practicable, be called upon for assistance and advised of the nature of the load and of the hazards involved.
(3.) If any requirement of either of the last two preceding sub-regulations is not complied with, the supervisor, if any, of the transportation of the goods, the driver of the vehicle concerned and the attendant, if any, travelling on the vehicle shall, unless it was impossible to comply with that requirement, each be deemed to have contravened this regulation
Person may be called upon to assist.
27.—(1.) Subject to the next succeeding sub-regulation, where a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported, or the goods, becomes or become defective or suffers or suffer damage, the supervisor, if any, of the transportation of the goods, the driver of the vehicle or the attendant, if any, travelling on the vehicle may require any person to assist in carrying out the requirements of the last preceding regulation and, if that person does not assist in the manner required, he shall be deemed to have contravened this regulation.
(2.) The assistance that may be required of, a person under the last preceding sub-regulation shall not be such as to place that person in danger.
Major repairs.
28.—(1.) Where goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported on a vehicle, the supervisor, if any, appointed to supervise that transportation or the driver of the vehicle shall not effect any major repairs, or permit any major repairs to be effected, to that vehicle while the goods are loaded on the vehicle.
(2.) For the purposes of the last preceding sub-regulation, repairs shall be deemed to be major repairs if they are of a kind that ordinarily require the entry of a vehicle into a garage, work-shop or service station.
Refuelling.
Where goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported on a vehicle, a person shall not refuel that vehicle or permit that vehicle to be refuelled—
(a) while the engine of the vehicle is running;
(b) from a petrol pump or in a place from which fuel is supplied to the public;
(c) in a place (other than a Commonwealth explosives area) where there are adjacent buildings; and
(d) unless a person carrying a fire extinguisher suitable for use on a petrol or an oil fire remains in close proximity to the vehicle while the refuelling is taking place.
Distance between loaded vehicles.
30.—(1.) The driver of a moving vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are loaded shall not bring that vehicle within a distance of seventy-five yards of any other moving vehicle on which goods consisting of explosives are loaded.
(2.) Where a convoy of vehicles by which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported is halted, the driver of a vehicle in the convoy shall not bring that vehicle within a distance of seventy-five yards of any other vehicle in the convoy.
Loaded vehicles not to be driven into buildings or halted in populated areas.
The driver of a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are loaded shall not—
(a) except for the purposes of loading or unloading the goods— drive the vehicle into, or halt the vehicle in proximity to, a building (other than a building within a Commonwealth explosives area); or
(b) except in the case of necessity—halt the vehicle in a closely populated area.
Level crossings.
32.—(1.) The driver of a single vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported, and the driver of the first vehicle of a convoy in which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported, shall not drive the vehicle across a railway
level crossing unless the vehicle is first halted so that the distance between the railway rail nearest to the vehicle and that part of the vehicle nearest to that rail is less than forty feet and more than ten feet.
(2.) The driver of any vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported shall not—
(a) drive the vehicle across a railway level crossing unless the supervisor, if any, of the transportation, or an attendant, has, after proceeding on foot to a point at which he can clearly observe and satisfy himself that there is no danger from an approaching train or other railway vehicle, signalled the vehicle across; or
(b) except in an emergency, change gear while driving the vehicle over a railway level crossing or while any part of the vehicle is within ten feet of a railway line at that crossing.
Speed of vehicles.
The driver of a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported shall not drive that vehicle at a speed in excess of thirty-five miles an hour and the supervisor, if any, of the transportation by road of goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives shall not permit a vehicle on which those explosives are being transported to be driven in excess of that speed.
Vehicles not to be driven during hours of darkness.
The driver of a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported shall not drive that vehicle on land other than a Commonwealth explosives area between the hours of sunset and sunrise unless, in the case of emergency, the supervisor, if any, of the transportation, or, if there is no supervisor, the driver, considers that, in the interests of safety, the vehicle should be driven between those hours.
Explosives not to be carried in cabin.
A person shall not place or carry goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives, or permit goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives to be placed or carried, in the cabin of a vehicle.
Intoxicating liquor.
36.—(1.) A person shall not carry intoxicating liquor, or permit intoxicating liquor to be carried, in or on a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are loaded.
(2.) A person shall not drive a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are loaded, or act as an attendant on such a vehicle, if he is under the influence of intoxicating liquor.
Carriage of fuel.
The driver of a vehicle on which goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported shall not carry fuel for that, or any other, vehicle, or permit fuel for that, or any other, vehicle to be carried, in or on the vehicle elsewhere than in the fuel tank of the vehicle.
Supervisor may instruct driver to cease driving.
38.—(1.) Where goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are being transported on a vehicle and the supervisor, if any, of the transportation considers, for any reason, that it is desirable that the driver of the vehicle should cease to drive the vehicle, he may direct the driver not to drive the vehicle.
(2.) A driver of a vehicle who fails to comply with a direction given under the last preceding sub-regulation shall be deemed to have contravened this regulation.
Attention of drivers and attendants to be drawn to certain matters.
Where goods consisting of Commonwealth explosives are to be transported by road, the supervisor of the transportation, or, if there is no supervisor of the transportation, the supervisor of the loading of the goods, shall satisfy himself that the attention of each driver of, and of each attendant travelling on, a vehicle on which the goods are to be transported has been drawn—
(a) to the provisions of these Regulations;
(b) to the number of the Group of explosives in which the explosives comprised in those goods are included;
(c) to the probable effect of fire on the load; and
(d) to the proper action to be taken in the event of damage to, or spilling from, the load.