Flyrock Elimination Program Part 1: Corporate Initiative

D. Scott Scovira
NA Director Technical Services
Orica USA, Inc.

Abstract

All flyrock incidents have the potential to result in injuries or fatalities that can result in loss of company
reputation, license to operate with clients, and bear the exposure to high cost liability. From 2007 to
2009, one NA Quarry and Construction Business experienced a series of flyrock incidents. In the Spring
of 2009, this business declared that the frequency and severity of Flyrock Incidents had reached an
unacceptable level. A Flyrock Elimination Program was launched.

The Upper Management of the business tasked the operating divisions as a whole to identify the root
causes for flyrock and take them out. During the Summer of 2009 a “Flyrock Roadshow” was delivered
across the entire business. The Flyrock Roadshow included personnel viewing strong messages from
Upper Management detailing the commitment to drive down the frequency and severity of flyrock
incidents. Recent flyrock incidents were reviewed with emphasis on root causes and potential
preventative actions. Each Flyrock Roadshow was closed with an interactive working together focus
session where personnel had the opportunity to speak out and identify issues that were keeping them
from working at a level of operation excellence.

Exiting the Flyrock Roadshow, it was identified that the blasting services business was working with a
mixed fleet of blast design tools. This lead the business to standardize and upgrade the blast design tools
used by blasting services personnel. During the Summer 2010, 2D tripod mounted laser profilers, hole
boretracks, and 3D photogrammetry systems were rolled out to business. Additionally, to ensure that
newly mandated policies and procedures were implemented, the business hired new Field Engineers to
make the required field measurements in support of blasting services. Each of the Field Engineers is a
recent engineering graduate and is assigned to work directly under the direction of one of the Senior
Technical Services staff.

The Flyrock Elimination Program can be attributed to significantly reducing the frequency and severity
of flyrock incidents experienced by this business. It is a tribute to an intensive effort to train and increase
personnel knowledge, and is the positive return on a significant investment in people and tools needed to
achieve on bench operational excellence.

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Flyrock Elimination Program – A Corporate Initiative

All flyrock incidents have the potential to result in injuries or fatalities that can result in loss of company
reputation, license to operate with clients, and bear the exposure to high cost liability. From 2007 to
2009, one NA Quarry and Construction Business experienced a series of on-site and off-site flyrock
incidents.

NA Flyrock Incident Rate

10

9
8

7
Incidents

6
5

4
3

2
1
0
FY2007 FY2008 FY2009

In the Spring of 2009, this business declared that the frequency and severity of flyrock incidents had
reached an unacceptable level. To drive flyrock out of the business, a Flyrock Elimination Program was
launched.

The Flyrock Roadshow

The Upper Management of the business tasked the operating divisions as a whole to identify the root
causes for flyrock and take them out. During the summer of 2009 a “Flyrock Roadshow” was delivered
across the entire North America business. This encompassed reaching out to 277 personnel in various
capacities across 37 sites. The program was delivered in either English or French according to
geographic need in order to ensure understanding and participation.

The Flyrock Roadshow was introduced by personnel viewing strong messages from Upper Management
detailing the commitment to drive down the frequency and severity of flyrock incidents. In a concluding
statement, one senior leader delivered the direct message “that this company has never fired a person for

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not taking a shot – however, there are several persons not working for this company because they did
shoot shots they should not have”.

The follow-up to the introduction was a review of recent flyrock incidents with emphasis on root causes
and potential preventative actions.

Each Flyrock Roadshow was closed with an interactive working together focus session where personnel
had the opportunity to speak out and identify issues that were keeping them from working at a level of
operation excellence. A total of 475 feedback thoughts were collected that could be divided into 13
keynote categories shown below.

Training + Development Drilling + Drill Logs

18 Explosive Column
SH&E Drilling + Drill Logs Loading
15 51 Blast Pattern +
Personnel Accountabilities Geometry
48 Stemming
Explosive Column Loading Initiation
Client Accountablities 65 Geology
26 Blast Area Security
Misfires + Mitigation
Blast Management +
Blast Management + Tools Tools
Blast Pattern + Geometry
70 58 Client
Accountablities
Misfires + Mitigation Personnel
3 Stemming Accountabilities
Blast Area Security 39 SH&E
47 Initiation Training +
Geology 26 Development
9

Corporate Mandates

A gap analysis from the information gathered during the interactive actions was completed. A series of
Policy and Procedure mandates were added to a fully revised edition of the company’s Blasting Safety
Guidelines (BSGs). Current corporate policies and mandates aimed at minimizing the risk of flyrock
include:

1] Drill Logs:
 No blasts loaded by company personnel without completed drill log.
 Drill log to be on company template, or other accepted equivalent.
 Completed drill log reviewed by blaster and driller.

2) Profiling, Bore Tracks, and Blasting of Angled Holes:

 District Director to be advised of any blast utilizing angle holes.
 All angled holes to be profiled and boretracked to determine the burdens
from any face that presents itself to the general public.

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  All faces greater than 15-feet in height that present themselves to the
general public shall be profiled.
 Profiling and boretracking to be performed by person who has completed
competency based user training.
 Burden sheet to be signed-off by technician and/or blaster, and included
in the Blast Record.

3) Single vs. Double Priming:

 All explosives columns and/or decks greater than 20-feet shall be
double primed. When the explosive column is less than 20-feet, the
double priming shall be at the discretion of the Blaster-In-Charge.
 Holes may be single primed when using an electronic blasting system.

4) Redundant Non-Electric Surface Hook-Ups:

 All blasts tied in with non-electric surface delays are to be double delayed.

5) Client Accountabilities and Expectations:

 In advance of blast layout, the client is to clear and prepare the drill bench to
the satisfaction of the Blaster-In-Charge. Loose rocks are to be removed from
pattern.
 In advance of the blast layout, the client is to complete the excavation in front of
free faces, leaving the toe area and face as clean as possible.
 The client is to provide clean, graded, crushed stemming material as agreed
with the Blaster-In-Charge.
 Pre-blast and post meeting with Blaster-In-Charge to communicate blast adjustments and
anticipated results. Oversize is better than flyrock.

Exemptions to the policies and mandates in the Blasting Safety Guidelines require a formal process with
review and sign-off by the Technical Services Manager, the District Director, and the VP of the
Business.

Blast Design Equipment Standardization

Exiting the Flyrock Roadshow, it was identified that the blasting services business was working with a
mixed fleet of blast design tools. Blasters and Technical Support personnel were using 2D hand-held and
tripod mounted profilers from several manufacturers ranging in age from almost new to past service life.
The same could be said for devices and methods used for blast hole orientation measurement tools.
Having a mixed fleet of profilers and blast hole orientation measurement devices presented challenges in
dictating standards of use, blast design, reporting, training, and personnel and equipment exchange. This
led the business to standardize and upgrade the blast design tools used across the entire business by
blasting services personnel.

After thorough consideration and field assessment this company selected 2D tripod mounted laser
profilers for blast design measurements. Additionally, rodded blast hole orientation equipment was
selected as the tool of choice for making field measurements to prepare quarry and construction blasts.

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The detail and engineering assessment behind the 2D tripod mounted profiler and rodded blast hole
orientation equipment selections are presented as Part 2 in this series of papers.

3D Photogrammetry

In order to reduce the risk of flyrock, technically challenging geometries and/or problematic rock masses
deserve a higher level treatment during the blast design process. To enhance blast design and blast
management capability beyond the use of standard issue 2D profilers, this company also has
incorporated 3D photogrammetry systems into its blasting services capability.

This commercially available 3D photogrammetry system coupled with image merging software allows
the blast designer to make measurements quickly, ensures that a high percent of the face area presented
is covered, and has the ability to quantify virtually all burden thicknesses no matter the geometry. This
photogrammetry system also has a straightforward import for rodded blasted orientation data. 3D
photgrammetry combined with rodded blasthole orientation data and blast design software provides the
blast designer with a powerful tool to minimize the risk of flyrock.

The detail behind selection of photogrammetry equipment selection over 3D laser profiling systems, and
the blast design process are presented as Part 3 in this series of papers.

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Field Engineers – The Next Generation of Technical Support

Several District Directors and Blasters expressed concern that time was the constraint to performing all
required work safely and efficiently. The idea of hiring Field Engineers who would be accountable for
conducting measurements in advance of the blast (as often as possible), and providing this information
to the Blasters-In-Charge in order to be prepared to manage to the conditions was advanced.

To ensure that newly mandated policies and procedures were implemented, the business did hire several
new Field Engineers to make the required field measurements in support of blasting services. Each of
these Field Engineers is a recent geo-engineering graduate and is assigned to work directly under the
direction of one of the Senior Technical Services staff. Placing recent graduates as Field Engineers
serves a natural bridge to this company’s Summer Intern and Graduate Programs.

Closing Remarks

As a result of the efforts from the Flyrock Elimination Program, this NA Business is now well
positioned to be “Flyrock Free”. There is now a strong commitment and culture to eliminate flyrock
across this NA Business, and there is continued improvement towards the goal of being “Flyrock Free”.

The Flyrock Elimination Program can be attributed to significantly reducing the frequency and severity
of flyrock incidents experienced by this business. To date in 2011 this business has experienced one
minor, no injury, off-site flyrock incident. This marks a dramatic decrease in flyrock incidents
experienced by this company. This is a tribute to an intensive effort to train and increase personnel
knowledge, and is the positive return on a significant investment in people and tools needed to achieve
on bench operational excellence.

Acknowledgements:

This initiative was lead by Craig Elkington, President Orica USA; Rodney Marchand, Senior Vice-
President Orica USA; and Richard Brown, Vice-President Orica Canada.

Many thanks to Bob McClure, President RAM Technologies, who sourced and set-up all new 2D
profiling, blast hole measurement systems, and 3D photogrammetry systems, in addition to conducting
all the training.

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