SYNOPSIS

The talk will explain what is controlled blasting which is actually to minimize blasting damage such as overbreak which may cause instability to rock slope. Controlled blasting is widely used to obtain reasonably smooth and stable rock slope such as in highways and also housing projects on steep ground.

In tunneling controlled blasting techniques is also use to obtain reasonably smooth tunnel perimeter. This will reduce the cost of tunnel repairs  due to  presence of fissures, fractures from blasting work.

However many blasters and engineers also tend to call blasting near public structures, housing and also near where people resides as controlled blasting. The types of blasting used are actually to minimize the environmental effects of blasting such as airblast, ground vibration, flyrock and also cause minimal disturbance to the public. Normally when blasting near where people resides blast monitoring is a must. This is more to protect the blasters from possible civil suit from the public and to defend the blasters themselves from complain and civil suit alleging damage from blasting work. Proper documentation of blasting work and blast monitoring work is essential to defend the project proponent in court.

The talk will be useful to the those who are handling blasting project, blast monitoring techniques and common engineers who just want to know.


SPEAKER BIODATA

Ir Hj Look Keman Bin Sahari graduated in 1979 in Mining Engineering from Strathclyde University, Glasgow Scotland. Upon returning home he joined Mine Research Institute, Ipoh ( now Mineral Research Center) which is the Research Division of the Mineral and Geoscience Department as a Research Engineer in the Mining Geotechnical Engineering Division. In 1983 he was transferred to the enforcement division of the Department as Inspector of mines and had served in the States of Selangor,Negeri Sembilan, Melaka He had evaluated many blasting application in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and also other states as in house Consultant in explosives and specialized blasting

In 1990 he further his studies in Explosives Ordnance Engineering and was conferred M.Sc by  Royal Military College of Science, Cranfield University, England. He is quite knowledgeable in explosive engineering application in mines, quarries and construction including tunneling and rock slope stability. He was also indirectly involved in the Technical Investigation of Bright Sparklers Firework Explosion in 1991 when 26 people died. He had attended many blasting course for surface and underground blasting locally and overseas. He had also given many talks at IEM on these subjects

He is Fellow of IEM and a Professional Engineer with Practicing Certificate in Mining specializing in Blasting. He is also an examiner for those sitting for PE and PEPC in mining and related discipline. He had also experienced as expert witness in arbitration case in blasting.