The Police will hold a national control week from 6 to 12 September 2021 at sites where explosives are used. Control will be carried out in cooperation with the local Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI).
The aim of control is to draw attention to the safe use and storage of explosives at blasting sites, engage with actors and effectively intervene in any failings detected. In addition, chargers’ certificates will be inspected.
According to Chief Superintendent Marko Heikkilä at the National Police Board, this is the first time that anything similar has been held nationally.
“The Police regularly carry out inspections of blasting sites, but this time we wanted to be effective nationally,” Heikkilä says.
Heikkilä reports that contractors are generally responsible and that there are no major failings. However, accidents involving explosives do happen at blasting sites from time to time and they sometimes require a criminal investigation to establish what happened.
“Each year explosives find their way into unauthorised hands and so control seeks to draw attention also to safe and secure storage,” Heikkilä adds.
Various regulatory permits are required to handle explosives and these will be checked in the control. Similarly, the Police will intervene in transports of explosives detected in road traffic.
