Searching for mining jobs is definitely a smart idea. The mining industry is booming and there is a lot of demand from Australia, Canada and Africa… Moreover, in my completely unbiased opinion, mining is the most fascinating sector of the economy.
Liberian ex-president Charles Taylor was criminally responsible for arming Sierra Leone's rebels in return for blood diamonds, the UN Special Court For Sierra Leone ruled on April 26.
Diamonds extraction and trade have been acknowledged to be one of the cornerstone of Charles Taylor's system. Amongst many other crimes, the Trial Chamber of the Special Court For Sierra Leone found evidence of "civilians being abducted and forced to mine for diamonds" (page 10) and of diamonds trading for arms and ammunition (page 15).
"The sentence will be pronounced on May 30th at 11.00 am (0900 GMT)", presiding judge Lussick said shortly after delivering the guilty verdict.
This is the kind of images we need to keep in mind when we handle, transport or store tertiary explosives that are "officially classed as non-explosives provided that certain conditions are observed (such as that an oxidizer not be mixed with fuels or sensitizers, and that the grain size exceeds a certain minimum size.) They are nonetheless explosive".
This is what Dr. Sean Dessureault, from the University of Arizona, Mining and Geological Engineering, reminds us in its Rock Excavation Course Notes.
Hazards link to ammonium nitrate have been even more recently demonstrated by the AZF factory accident in Toulouse, France.
Considering the importance of reporting for compliance and safety management purpose, this form might be a useful resource for any blasters who want to improve this part of its job. The document is available in Word format which will allow its customization. Instructions for completing the form are also available.
I also prepared a Pre-Blast and Post-Blast Measurement Protocol that might also help blasters to fill the form with quality data and built over time a consistent site database.
Site compliance, improved return on blasting operation and better overall site safety are some of the benefits attached to such a thorough documentation.
"In an effort to remain compliant with increasingly stringent government regulations, project specifications and corporate reporting protocol, there has evolved a need within the blasting and vibration control industries for an accurate, timely and efficient method for the recording, reporting and dissemination of blast vibration data" wrote Jeff Corace and Rob Cyr in a remarkable paper, showcased in October last year at the Mining Magazine Congress in Johannesburg.
They first underlined the "current widespread acknowledgement of [blast vibration Monitoring] absolute necessity".
The paper covers the best practices of the industry as regard blasting vibration monitoring and a fair sample of current legislations.
To my opinion, as a regular user of such equipment, there is just one thing missing (but this was clearly not the objective of the paper): a basic troubleshooting guide. I prepared a first draft. Feel free to send me your comments.
