Acoem Australasia blast monitoring services: when does obsessive become compulsive?

We know that when it comes to your environmental compliance responsibilities, you don’t take short cuts.

With the public and regulators becoming ever more demanding and vigilant, the cost of non-conformance can be debilitating to your business and your reputation.

We can’t guarantee that your blasting operations won’t result in an exceedance, but we can guarantee a 100% capture of your blasts and 100% certainty that the recorded values are representative.

That’s a big claim, one which is unmatched by our competitors.

So how can we make such a claim?

Let us count the ways

Our Blast Monitors:

operate autonomously 24×7, using solar power

  • don’t rely on communication networks and can record events for up to 25 weeks
  • are pinged continuously to ascertain their status – if they are offline, we know within minutes
  • are triggered daily to test their recording status and download capability
  • automatically switch to the previous firmware version, should a program cease to run
  • automatically test and record critical parameters such as battery voltage and network availability
  • ensure that customers are informed of faults within 24hrs, with quick technician response times.

Our Blast Network:

  • uses a private Telstra 3G/4G network for remote downloading and control of monitors
  • uses two independent central servers, located in Sydney and Melbourne (Australia) for redundancy
  • uses two independent fibre connections, as well as two independent power feeds, backed up with UPS
  • has two independent SQL servers for data backup
  • offers an SMS messaging system to alert clients if monitors go offline
  • provides data that is available to view on the website anytime, within minutes of a blast
  • constantly monitors the website.

 

Our Quality Assurance:

  • We are NATA & ISO17025 accredited for blast monitoring
  • We are audited annually by independent assessors to check the validity and integrity of our systems, processes and results
  • We maintain a primary reference microphone that is cross-checked against two standards from Australia and overseas
  • We perform biennial proficiency studies to ensure our vibration and over-pressure readings are within our stated uncertainty
  • We calibrate our geophone responses against traceable voltage and time standards
  • We check our geophone responses against reference geophones certified by NMI – the highest authority in Australia for these measurements
  • We conduct field response checks on all our blast monitor microphones every 3 months
  • We conduct full frequency response checks on all our blast monitor microphones each year
  • We conduct field response checks on all our geophones annually
  • We conduct frequency response checks on all our geophones three times a year
  • We check the electronics’ analogue channels every 12 months
  • We review every blast waveform for quality and integrity to ensure the result is from the blast, not an external event
  • Our internal peer review system signs off on all reports prior to release
  • Our custom written LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System) schedules and records all preventative maintenance tasks for each monitor.

Our People

  • Our Acoem technicians and engineers design and build our instruments. Our hardware is 100% Acoem
  • Our Acoem engineers and technicians design and maintain our firmware. Our firmware is 100% Acoem
  • Our Acoem engineers and technicians design and maintain our software. Our software is 100% Acoem
  • Our field blast technicians are specialists in Dynamaster technology, system and process
  • Our reporting servicesteam consists of degree level scientists and engineers based in Melbourne – all fully trained in blast QA/QC (Quality Assurance/Quality Control)
  • Our blast services team has a dedicated coordinator whose sole task is to ensure dependable and reliable results are delivered day in day out

Our Support

  • We are reachable by phone or email 365 days a year
  • We are audited annually by independent assessors to check the validity and integrity of our blast monitoring operations.

Your job is demanding enough without having to worry about missed or unreliable monitoring results.

We hope our obsessive/compulsive tendencies give you peace of mind, allowing you to concentrate on the important role you are tasked with – protecting surrounding communities and the environment.

What’s the bottom line?

We think our obsession is worth it and the proof is in the results:

99.90% Raw Data Capture (that’s 999 out of 1000 blast events captured) = your peace of mind.

We’re Acoem Australasia. Problem solved.

Would you like to…?