IME Blasting Cap Safety Education Program History

Institute of Makers of Explosives Blasting Cap Safety Education Program History


In 1926, The Institute of Makers of Explosives initiated The Blasting Cap Safety Education Program which continues today. This nationwide program was designed to educate children to the dangers of blasting caps (detonators) and to reduce the number of accidents involving them. Over the years this educational campaign has used a variety of safety education materials, including ads in magazines and newspapers, safety posters geared to children and adults, TV spots and Instructor kits.

When the program began hundreds of children were being injured or killed each year by improperly stored or abandoned blasting caps. Over the years the injury rate has been drastically reduced and for the last 10 years blasting cap injuries to children have been in the single digits in the United States.

In 1947 The Boy Scouts of America in connection with their participation in the program, proposed the use of dummy examples of blasting caps for Scoutmasters to use in their safety training. This led to the production of the first blasting cap (detonator) display board, which contained examples of era blasting caps. The dummy blasting caps used on the board and future boards were supplied by IME Member Companies and reflected examples of the respective era.

Today, the program centers around a DVD program titled: Don't Touch which includes a video and poster display of various detonators. The detonator display board is currently considered a "restricted item", only available to law enforcement agencies on a very limited basis.

The survival rate of IME Blasting Cap Display Boards Examples has been low, mainly due to limited distribution, age deterioration, destruction when no longer needed and disassembly by Explosive Techs. to obtain the cap examples for other training uses.


IME Detonator Display Board Variations and Office Location Chronology:
(Note: A few other variations of boards not pictured here exist and I have yet encountered to photograph)

1947
The Boy Scouts of America, in connection with their participation in the program, proposed the use of actual examples of blasting caps for Scoutmasters to use in their safety training. The IME office was located at 343 Lexington Avenue (Between 39th and 40th Streets) in New York, occupying the top two floors of a five story building.



(Board Measures 10" X 14" and contains examples of 2 fuze type caps and 2 electric caps. Note the top electric cap has early cloth insulated wires)


1950


(Board Measures 10 1/2" X 13 1/2" and contains examples of 2 fuze type caps and 2 electric type caps)


1953
The office moved in March to 250 East 43rd Street, New York.


(Board Measures 10 1/2" X 13 1/2" and contains examples of 2 fuze type caps and 2 electric caps / Dated 07-1962)

1963
The office moved in June to 420 Lexington Avenue, New York.


(Board Measures 10 1/2" X 13 1/2" and contains examples of 2 fuze type caps and 2 electric caps / Dated 11-1964 )


(Board Measures 8 3/4" X 11 1/4" and contains examples of 2 fuze type caps and 3 electric caps)

1979
The office moved in October to 818 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. after 65 years in New York City
(I believe that the above example was also used during this short time period)

1980
The office was moved in March to 1575 Eye Street, NW, Suite 550, Washington, D.C


(Board Measures 11" X 14" and contains examples of 2 fuze type caps, 3 electric caps and 6 Non-Electric System Types / Note the addition of "Detonators" Wording)

1986
The office moved in February to its present location at 1120 Nineteenth Street, NW, Suite 310, Washington D.C.


(Board Measures 13" X 17" and contains examples of 1 fuze type cap, 2 electric caps and 7 Non-Electric System Types)

Stay safe,
Frank

If ever there were a vote for the best thread,you just won my vote. Excellent.

Very nice, I hadn't seen the first 4 before now. They stopped making these a few years ago.

Hi Inertordnance,
What a great thread, thank you for taking the time to post the images of these warning display boards i think there great. A very collectable thing in their own right.
Really nice to see how they evolved over the years as well, best regards Weasel.

Inertordnance, Thank you for sharing these displays. I never knew such a program existed. Growing up in the suburbs blasting caps were not much of a problem, but my dad said he had a cousin who was killed blasting stumps on his family's farm in the '50s. So i could see where a program like this could have been usefull.

WOW! Just brought back memories as a kid seeing warning commercials on our black & white tv!
Awsome thread Frank!

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for the kind comments! I am glad that I found a board were there is interest in these types of items.

Thanks again and stay safe,

Frank

Thanks so much for this well written and well researched information. I have on of the safety posters like the one in the photo from year 1950. I am in the US and sell things on ebay sometimes. This item is very far outside my knowledge of collectibles. You sound like an expert on this type of collectible. Any thoughts on what I should charge when attempting to sell such an item? Thank you very much. yankeesalesUS

They didn't work for us. My brothers still set one off in the living room. That was 50 years ago, and they still occasionally pick out a piece of shell that works its way to the surface.