During ISEE: A Study in US Standards for Vibration Monitoring and Keeping Structures Safe

In January, we attended the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE)’s 51st Annual Conference on Explosives & Blasting Technique. Held in Cherokee, NC this year, the six-day conference is the world’s largest gathering focused on explosives engineering, and brings together professionals from around the globe.

We attended a session which compared quarry blasting vibration monitoring standards used in the United States and various European countries.  

The study examines the response of a residential structure to repeated blasts at the adjacent quarry in Ohio. The home was outfitted with vibration monitoring equipment installed and configured to various standards from Europe and the U.S. In addition, the home was instrumented with crack gauges to monitor existing fractures for additional damage. The objective is to determine which standards, if any, are burdening blasters with vibration limits that are more conservative than necessary to protect structures from damage.  We were interested in the session particularly because Inzwa had participated in a related study conducted at a quarry in Michigan whose results will be presented at the EFEE conference in September 2025.

European vs. US Standards for Vibration Monitoring

The main purpose of the session was to share the data collected during the study and provide compelling evidence that larger, controlled blasts can be carried out without causing structural damage.

The study demonstrated that US standards, while less restrictive than European ones, still effectively protect structures. The instrumentation was  used to document the dimensions of data such as the building conditions during blasting and to monitor stress fractures. The data showed that implementing higher thresholds could be safe and that higher energy levels, permitted under U.S. standards, don’t allow for structural damage, providing evidence for potentially adjusting European regulations.

Why is Changing European Ground Monitoring Standards Important?

European standards require lower thresholds for triggering alarms than U.S. standards, necessitating smaller, more contained blasts. This increases operational costs as more blasts are needed to move the same amount of material. The U.S. standards allow for higher energy levels and more efficient operations while still maintaining structural safety. 

By staying within established benchmarks, such as those outlined in the former U.S. Bureau of Mines (USM), studies and standards documentation, or by keeping up with directives from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM) regarding blasting standards, ground vibration monitoring devices that comply with U.S. standards demonstrate that these blasts don’t have to be overly contained to keep structures secure.

Maintaining Cost Effectiveness in European Vibration Monitoring Projects 

From our vantage point, , the consensus of this empirical research and the study supports potential changes to European Standards. It was suggested that if regulators relax current European standards, it would significantly reduce project costs for demolition, blasting, and other projects. Currently, stricter regulations that push contractors to execute smaller, more controlled blasts, can drive up expenses unnecessarily.