This years workshop will be delivered and sponsored by the EFEE Environmental committee and focuses on Vibration Standards, CO2 Calculation and Incident Reporting. The committee has been focusing on these three very important areas for the industry, the workshop will provide an excellent opportunity to share our updates and for you as users and experts within the industry to share your thoughts, and to be be involved in these important discussions.
In the afternoon we will depart on a field trip to the surrounding area of Maastricht, viewing the related marl and coal mines of the St. Pieters Mountain, and the nature restoration program of the ENCI quarry.
Timings and tickets
Workshop on the Comparison of Vibration and other Standards Related to Blasting: 09:00 – 11:00
The limits set to the standards are too strict, and limits complicate our work. This is shown in both comparison between the standards and knowledge of the actual effect that the vibrations from a blast has on the involved structures.
The committee have been studying and comparing the major standards for vibrations connected to blasting from around the world since 2018. Initially as a survey, but now through actual measurements in the Aitik mine in Northern Sweden. The standards are compared not only with each other but also in relation to dynamic crack response and global strain.
Join us and make a difference in pressurising for better conditions for the blasting industry, making us more efficient in our blasting work.
Speakers: Charles H. Dowding, Thierry Bernard, Johan Finsteen Gjødvad, Mathias Jern.
CO2 Calculator of Blast Compared to Other Tools: 11:15 – 12:30
To be proactive we want to give the trade a free tool that can show what we have realized as being the truth for CO2 within our trade, namely, that blasting in the vast majority of cases is much more CO2 friendly than alternative methods.
We already have an existing homepage that will prove this point.
Carbon Footprint, a challenge for the blasting industry. All industrial activities face the obligation of contributing to slow down global warming. Blasting-related activities are no exception. In that aspect, the first requirement is the assessment of CO2 equivalent emissions in rock extraction related activities. Several private and individual initiatives are ongoing to comply. However, a framework will be required that defines how this assessment is done. In this part of the workshop, we will introduce a tool called ECOFRO that could help blasting professionals assess CO2 emissions and compare different scenarios. It could be the first step to building standard guidelines for carbon footprint assessment in the blasting activity.
Please join us in this session and give your input on how to get the best CO2 tool for our industry.
Speakers: Thomas Pinel, Ricardo Chavez.
Incident Reporting and Database (survey): 12:45 – 13:30
EFEE members have always wanted to have an overview of the incidents which unfortunately occur in Europe, we want to approach this by having an online database for members, ensuring the safety of blasters and promoting HSE in general.
How are blast related incidents defined and assessed across different countries? Also, how do we share learnings after unwanted events related to the use of explosives. EFEE will present results from a survey and invite discussions on the results and further works.
Please join this session to strengthen this important work.
Speaker: Espen Hugaas.
13:30 Lunch
14:00 Field Trip Departs
Departure from the MECC for an excursion by bus. We will have the opportunity to view the rich local history of the marl and coal mines of the St. Pieters Mountain (a real Dutch mountain of 171 m!), and the nature restoration program of the ENCI quarry. If we have time, we will have a culinary stop along the way and will watch a demo of the training of sniffer dogs to track hidden explosives. At 16:00 we will return to the MECC.
Tickets Include:
- Workshop access
- Underground tour
- Hot buffet lunch and refreshments
EFEE Member: €65 + local taxes
EFEE Non-Member: €85 + local taxes
Tickets are available to purchase during conference registration.