Blasting is an integral part of the excavation process in underground construction and civil engineering.

Due to the high energy content of explosives it is an inexpensive and highly effective method for rock

breaking. As explosives have continually been developing due to a high level of research, they have

also become remarkably safer. However, it would be careless to ignore the negative side-effects of

blasting operations. Due to urbanization, blasting operations are executed more often in populous

areas. For this reason it is important to perform the blasting works so that the possible effects on

the environment and people nearby are minimized. One of the inevitable negative side-effects of

excavation with blasting is blasting-induced vibrations.

The aim of this paper is to discuss the general aspects of blast vibrations and it should give an

overview of the blast vibration regulations and legislations in Europe. Furthermore, this paper should

also outline modern methods which can be used to efficiently reduce blast vibrations. The first

method which is discussed, is improving the delay design by using non-electric detonators. With

these detonators, it is possible to set up an efficient system of detonators with a large number of

delay times. The paper also treats the importance of the drilling accuracy and choosing the right

explosive type. The last method which is shown is the vibration isolation of sensitive equipment. This

method is easy to implement and very useful in urban drill and blast tunneling.