Mining school offers course in explosives blasting

Mining School Administrator John Applewhite-Hercules

Two expatriate companies are among six entities from the gold mining and quarrying sectors that will participate in an August 5 – 6 course in explosives blasting being run by the Guyana Mining School Inc.

Administrator/Coordinator of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC)-run Mining School John Applewhite-Hercules told Stabroek Business in an interview earlier this week that the two-day programme will address the theoretical aspects of explosives blasting. He said that while consideration had been given to adding a third day to the exercise to facilitate actual field work with explosives it had been decided that the logistics of such an undertaking were impracticable at this time. He said the participants in the current theoretical part of the course had already indicated that they were prepared to contribute to and participate in the practical programme.

Meanwhile, Applewhite-Hercules said that the Australian company Orica Mining Services had been selected to deliver the programme and would work in collaboration with the GGMC.

Orica is the largest provider of commercial explosives and blasting systems to the mining sector and is widely