Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control (Dealing in Certain Lower-risk Explosives — Class Licence) Order 2025

No. S 378

Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021

Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control
(Dealing in Certain Lower-risk Explosives —
Class Licence) Order 2025

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 56 of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021, the Minister for Home Affairs makes the following Order:

Citation and commencement

1.  This Order is the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control (Dealing in Certain Lower-risk Explosives — Class Licence) Order 2025 and comes into operation on 1 July 2025.

Definitions

2.  In this Order —

“authorised by or under the Act”, for a regulated activity involving explosives, means authorised to carry on the regulated activity, without committing an offence under the Act, because of —

(a) a provision in the Act;

(b) a licence or a class licence; or

(c) an exemption by or under section 87, 88 or 89 of the Act;

“classification code”, for an explosive, means the figures representing —

(a) the class, division and compatibility group to which the explosive is assigned in conformity with 2.1.1.4 and 2.1.2 of the UNRTDG Volume I; or

(b) the class, division and packing compatibility group to which the explosive is assigned in conformity with 3.2 of the UNRTDG Volume I;

“defined lower-risk explosive” means any of the following lower‑risk explosives:

(a) any safety cartridge for an industrial fastening tool, such as a nail gun cartridge;

(b) any explosive substance contained in any safety or life‑saving equipment because the explosive substance is designed to activate the equipment;

(c) any firework (commonly called a sparkler) consisting of a wire or stick not exceeding 400 millimetres in length, which is partially coated with an explosive composition in admixture along only one end and which is designed —

(i) to be held by hand at the other end; or

(ii) to be free-standing or fixed to a base,

provided that if the admixture contains potassium perchlorate, the potassium perchlorate is not more than 3% of all substances making up the admixture;

“lower-risk explosive” has the meaning given by paragraph 2(1) of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control (Transporting Lower‑risk Explosives — Class Licence) Order 2025 (G.N. No. S 376/2025);

“motor vehicle” means a vehicle that is propelled wholly or partly by a motor or by any means other than human or animal power, and is intended or adapted for use on any road;

“properly use”, for any defined lower-risk explosive, means using the defined lower‑risk explosive in a way or for a purpose that the defined lower‑risk explosive was designed;

“repair”, in relation to a conveyance, includes carrying out work on the conveyance or a component of the conveyance to ensure, or that could affect, the continuing roadworthiness, airworthiness, seaworthiness or safe operation (as the case may be) of the conveyance;

“safety or life-saving equipment” means any of the following equipment which is designed to be activated by an explosive substance or explosive device contained in the equipment:

(a) an air bag inflator or air bag module for use in a motor vehicle that is of classification code 1.4 UN number 0503;

(b) a seatbelt pretensioner for use in a conveyance that is of classification code 1.4 UN Number 0503;

(c) a fire extinguisher of classification code 2.2 UN Number 1044 containing a fire extinguisher cartridge or squib to disperse a fire suppressant;

(d) an evacuation slide or a lift raft, or other similar device or equipment for preserving life, that is required to be carried on board a conveyance in accordance with written law and, in the case of a foreign registered conveyance, also in accordance with the laws of the country the conveyance is registered in;

“UN Number” means a United Nations serial number that is a 4‑digit number used by the United Nations to identify an explosive;

“UNRTDG” means the document called the “Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods — Model Regulations” Volumes I and II, 23rd revised edition (Ref: ST/SG/AC.10/1/Rev.23), which is published by the United Nations, New York and Geneva, and issued by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, in 2023.

Application

3.—(1)  This Order does not extend to a person who is exempt by or under section 87 or 88 of the Act.

(2)  The application of paragraph 4 is subject to section 66(1) and (2)(c) of the Act.

Trading and use of defined lower-risk explosive

4.—(1)  Every person is subject to a class licence authorising the person to do all or any of the following:

(a) import or export any defined lower‑risk explosive;

(b) properly use any defined lower‑risk explosive;

(c) supply any defined lower‑risk explosive;

(d) acquire, and to store or have in possession, any defined lower‑risk explosive in connection with —

(i) any import or export of the defined lower‑risk explosive by the person;

(ii) any proper use of the defined lower‑risk explosive by the person; or

(iii) any supply of the defined lower‑risk explosive by the person.

(2)  Every individual who is employed or engaged by a class licensee mentioned in sub‑paragraph (1) is subject to a class licence authorising the individual to do in the course of the individual’s employment or engagement by the class licensee, all or any of the activities the class licensee is authorised to do under that sub‑paragraph.

Repairer or supplier, etc., of conveyance

5.—(1)  Every person who, in the course of any business —

(a) repairs or takes part in the repair of any safety or life‑saving equipment; or

(b) repairs or takes part in the repair of, supplies, or imports or exports, any conveyance in which any life‑saving equipment is installed, or is required by any written law to be installed with,

is subject to a class licence authorising the person to acquire, and to store or have in possession, to supply, and to import and export, the explosive substance or explosive device contained in that safety or life‑saving equipment.

(2)  Every individual who is employed or engaged by a class licensee mentioned in sub‑paragraph (1) is subject to a class licence authorising the individual to do in the course of the individual’s employment or engagement by the class licensee, all or any of the activities the class licensee is authorised to do under that sub‑paragraph.

Class licence conditions: general

6.  A class licensee by virtue of paragraph 4(1) or (2) or 5(1) or (2) may carry out the regulated activity authorised under the paragraph applicable to the class licensee, subject to all the following conditions:

(a) the class licensee only properly uses a defined lower‑risk explosive;

(b) the class licensee does not abandon any defined lower‑risk explosive acquired or stored by or in the possession of the class licensee;

(c) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that any defined lower‑risk explosive acquired or stored by or in the possession of the class licensee —

(i) is not lost or stolen; and

(ii) is not accessible, and is not supplied or transferred, to anyone else who is not authorised by or under the Act to possess the defined lower‑risk explosive;

(d) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to protect other people from alarm relating to the class licensee carrying out any regulated activity authorised by the class licence.

Class licence conditions for larger quantities of defined lower‑risk explosives

7.—(1)  Where a class licensee by virtue of paragraph 4(1) or (2) or 5(1) or (2) has possession of —

(a) more than 5,000 rounds of safety cartridges for any industrial fastening tool, such as a nail gun cartridge; or

(b) a number of any defined lower‑risk explosive, or a combination of defined lower‑risk explosives, containing a total mass (excluding packaging) of explosive substances exceeding 5 kilograms,

the class licensee may carry out the regulated activity authorised by the class licence under this Order subject to all the additional conditions in sub‑paragraph (2).

(2)  The conditions for the purposes of this paragraph are as follows:

(a) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that every defined lower‑risk explosive acquired or stored by or in the possession of the class licensee is kept —

(i) in a secure storeroom; and

(ii) in the condition as stated in the safety data sheet applicable to the defined lower‑risk explosive,

when the defined lower-risk explosive is not being used or supplied by the class licensee, or is not required in the repair of any safety or life‑saving equipment or any conveyance in which the life‑saving equipment is installed or to be installed;

(b) the class licensee takes all reasonable steps necessary to ensure that the secure storeroom mentioned in sub‑paragraph (a) is clearly identified in accordance with sub‑paragraph (4), and that there is no other sign or writing displayed nearby that contradicts the identification required by sub‑paragraph (4);

(c) the class licensee notifies the police by calling ‘999’, without delay upon becoming aware of any of the following occurrences:

(i) any theft or attempted theft, or any loss, of any defined lower‑risk explosive acquired, handled, used or stored by or in the possession of the class licensee under the class licence;

(ii) any unauthorised entry of any person into the place or the premises occupied by the class licensee to carry on a regulated activity authorised by the class licence;

(iii) a defined incident happening in any place or premises where and when the class licensee is carrying on a regulated activity authorised by the class licence.

(3)  For the purposes of sub-paragraph (2)(a), a secure storeroom is a room that complies with the following requirements:

(a) the room is or is part of any premises which is not made from short‑lived materials;

(b) the room is fitted with a door which —

(i) is made of solid material; and

(ii) has a built-in sturdy combination lock, keyed lock or keyed padlock.

(4)  For the purposes of sub‑paragraph (2)(b), a secure storeroom in that provision must be identified in either of the following ways:

(a) the storeroom must have the words “DANGER — EXPLOSIVES” painted or marked on every external door or entrance to the storeroom —

(i) in a conspicuous colour;

(ii) in each of the 4 official languages; and

(iii) in legible characters which are not less than 75 millimetres in height;

(b) the storeroom must have displayed on every external door or entrance to the storeroom a sign containing the words “DANGER — EXPLOSIVES” —

(i) in a conspicuous colour;

(ii) in each of the 4 official languages; and

(iii) in legible characters which are not less than 75 millimetres in height.

(5)  In sub-paragraph (2)(c), “defined incident” means an occurrence associated with the carrying out of a regulated activity authorised by a class licence under this Order and involving any defined lower‑risk explosive, where —

(a) an individual —

(i) suffers an injury as a result of direct contact during the regulated activity with the explosive;

(ii) he or she dies as a result of the injury after sustaining the injury; and

(iii) the injury did not result from natural causes;

(b) an individual —

(i) suffers an injury as a result of direct contact during the regulated activity with the explosive;

(ii) the injury is —

(A) loss of sight, whether temporary or permanent;

(B) loss of hearing in any one ear, whether temporary or permanent; or

(C) one which is likely to require hospitalisation for a period that starts no later than the 7th day after the date the individual sustained the injury, and that exceeds 48 hours after starting; and

(iii) the injury did not result from natural causes;

(c) any premises or conveyance is wholly or partly destroyed; or

(d) any premises or conveyance sustains damage or structural failure that adversely affects the structural strength or performance of the premises or conveyance.

Made on 26 May 2025.

PANG KIN KEONG

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs,
Singapore.

[112/2/029; AG/LEGIS/SL/121C/2020/32]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 92 of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021).