On June 20, 2024 the Eastern Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic Chapters ISEE hosted an 8 hour Blasters Training at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona, PA.
There were 26 participants and 9 speakers. The agenda included Trooper Brooks and Tropper Burns from the Pennsylvania State Police presenting, “Commercial Vehicle Inspection”; Evan Thibaud from PNEU Wave Consulting presented, “An Analysis of Explosive Bulk Accidents: Cause & Effect” and “Good Blasting = Good Fishing”; Tom Hairhoger from Austin Powder Company presented, “Details Matter”; Benny Staudt from Vibra-Tech Engineers, Inc. presented, “Seismographs are Never Mad, Sad, or Glad”; Sandy Tavelli from Dyno Nobel presented, “Electronics: Changing the Way the World Mines”; Chris Catalano from the Pennsylvania DEP presented, “The Blasters Responsibilities Today”; Erika Dominick from PA One Call presented, “PA 811 Responsibilities for the Excavator”; and Jay Elkin from Wampum Hardware Co. presented, “Blasting Near Buried Transmission Lines”.
This training was approved for Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia recertification.
Special thanks to the events sponsors:
Austin Powder Company
Dimension Supply, Inc.
East West Drilling, Inc.
EPIROC USA
Gill Rock Drill Company, Inc.
Maurer & Scott
Mincon, Inc.
MTI Group
Orica USA
Terra-Mechanics, Inc.
Vibra-Tech Engineers, Inc.
Wampum Hardware Co.
The Best in the West (BITW) Drill and Blast Conference concluded with resounding success, leaving attendees energized and inspired. Over 300 attendees, exhibitors, speakers, students, and sponsors came together for three days of valuable training and networking at the Spearfish Holiday Inn Convention Center in Spearfish, South Dakota, in April 2024.
The conference was planned and hosted jointly by the Black Hills Chapter ISEE and the Northern Plains Chapter ISEE. This was the 35th Annual Conference and will be remembered as another fun and successful event!
Pre-conference events included the Paul Muehl Scholarship Trap Shoot and the Crazy Horse Mountain Tour. The Bob Martin Memorial Golf Scramble was cancelled this year.
The Paul Muehl Scholarship Trap Shoot was held at the nearby Spearfish Rifle and Trap Club, and included lunch and awards. The food was catered by PooterQ Original Barbeque in Belle Fourche and was very good! The top shooter was Neal Rothenbuhler, and Daniel Fithian won the “Most Chance to Advance” Award. Proceeds from the event benefitted the Paul Muehl Scholarship Fund.
The Crazy Horse Mountain Tour group had a great time getting a close-up view of the mountain and touring the indoor exhibits. The weather was overcast and cold with a few snowflakes, but attendees still saw the progress of the carving and got some great photos.
The Regulatory Session and Panel Discussion kicked off the BITW Conference and provided some great information for attendees. Regulators in attendance included representatives from the ATF, Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, MSHA South Dakota, MSHA Wyoming, North Dakota Public Service Commission, and Wyoming DEQ. Janeen Smith, ISEE President, did a great job moderating the session.
There were excellent presentations given by industry representatives, drillers and blasters, students, scientists and engineers, which covered a broad range of relevant topics.
The Annual Awards Banquet and Scholarship Auction was an opportunity to recognize contributions to the industry, enjoy good food and conversation, and raise additional funds for student scholarships. This year, $16,000 in scholarships was given to ten mining students as a result of the conference and auction. An additional $1,000 scholarship was given in memory of Joe Wood (a long-time Black Hills Chapter member) to a student at SDSM&T.
The Supplier Appreciation Award, a custom blasting box from Blasters Tool & Supply, was won by Nelson Brothers. Their business card was drawn from a basket by Victoria Richardson of ISEE. The Newbie Award was given in great style to Hiranthie Stanford of ISEE.
The 36th Annual Best in the West Drill and Blast Conference will be April 23, 24, and 25, 2025, at the Spearfish Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Spearfish, South Dakota. Save the date!
The Western Canada Chapter held its 30th Annual Conference and General Meeting April 25 – 27, 2024, in Kamloops, British Columbia. On Thursday, ISEE’s Level 1 Construction Blasting was presented, and certificates were issued by ISEE to those who passed the quizzes. Dr. Anthony Konya presented a seminar on blast design.
On Friday, Worksafe BC conducted certification exams. A golf outing and clay shoot took place and a welcome reception and video roundup were held in the evening.
On Saturday, a full day of training took place after the annual general meeting. Officers selected included Jared Wells, President; Kira Sheehy and Alastair Grogan, Vice Presidents; Chris Elliott, Treasurer; Chris Fahr, Secretary; and Paul Jeannotte, Past President. Paul was thanked for his 3 years as President. Committee chairs and members were assigned.
After the annual general meeting, exhibits opened and a full day of presentations took place. Topics and speakers included:
- Explosives and Oilwell Perforation by Steve Wirenga
- Avalanche Blasting to Support Construction of a Hydroelectric Tunnel by Greg Johnson
- Keynote by Anthony Konya
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning by Nadya Michel
- Panel Discussion on Human Factors in Blasting Operations by Jared Wells, Matt Floch, Kira Sheehy, and Chris Sherbinin
- Regulator Roundup by Tim Loblaw and Josee Boudreau
- Blasting Artificial Caves for Bat Habitat by Anders Frapell
- Slot Blasting Using Wireless Detonators in an Underground Mine by Paul Kuznik and Xavier Beneteau
- Bowron FSR Resurfacing Project by Jessica Ophus
- Danger Tree Blasting by Dazy Weymer
Following the day of training, a happy hour took place along with the conference banquet and entertainment by a mentalist and magic show. Andy Wells received the Ron Elliott Leadership Award for his tireless advocacy for the drilling and blasting industry and his critical role in the Western Canada Chapter’s continued success.
The next annual meeting will take place April 24 - 26, 2025, at the Coast Kamloops Hotel, Kamloops, British Columbia.
The Penn State Student ISEE Chapter hosted a joint dinner/meeting with the Eastern PA ISEE Chapter on April 10, 2024.
The meeting was held on the Pennsylvania State University campus at the Hosler Building, Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering. The guest speaker was Christopher DCatalano, Chief of Explosives and Safety Section, PA Department of Environmental Protection. Chris spoke on “Academics in Blasting: Value and Balance.” He touched on his own life experience coming up through the ranks in a variety of job experiences and now, how he is still working on his own continuing education and degree.
Chris discussed how much the explosives and blasting industry has advanced and how investigating blasting claims advanced as well. In attendance were 10 students,4 faculty members, and 5 Eastern PA Chapter members, either in person or via zoom.