WorldWide Drilling Resource

Program in Canada Uses Simulators for Blasthole Drilling Training Adapted from an Article by Ian Graham with the Thompson Citizen Reprinted with Permission Six students from remote Manitoba First Nations graduated earlier this year from the first blasthole drilling training program in Canada, using drill simulators. “This is the first time that simulators have actually been put in the field for people to actually use,” said Keith Taylor of the Austin Powder Company in a promotional video produced for the Manitoba Construction Sector Council. “We’ve used simulators before, but they’re typically at a location of the manufacturers.” “My specialty is more focused on the sims,” he explained. “I was trained by a gentleman from Finland for Epiroc and Sandvik. They actually certified me to be a trainer for their machines. It’s basically like sitting in the cabs of these higher-end drills.” There is also a mobile simulator lab in a trailer which can be transported to any community that can be reached over land. Don Ayres taught the students about health and safety, as well as the characteristics of different types of rock that need to be drilled for blasting. “It’s important that they know what they’re drilling and how they have to adjust for different character- istics of the rocks so that they can adapt in the field when they go get on the drill. There’s a huge difference from limestone to granite. Granite’s way harder and you have to slow right down, but limestone, you can punch holes in it pretty quick.” In contrast to the old way of learning by doing - and trial and error - starting off on simulators is both safer and more economical. “It takes some of the experimentation off of the field work,” Ayres stated. “Lots of times they were damaging drills or they were really hard on bits, really hard on equipment. With this information, they can take it and they can adapt and run the machine properly, safely, no issues. That’s one of the benefits.” Having completed the training, the students are now qualified to drill blastholes for roadwork, quarries, and mining. Only one of the students had prior drill experience, most didn’t have any equipment operating ex- perience. Kethan North, 23, from Oxford House (a First Nations Cree commu- nity in Northern Manitoba), said this training is a way to step into the more skilled aspect of construction, rather than the labor positions he has been working since graduating high school. “It seemed like a really good opportunity, thought I could make a career out of it,” he said. “The simula- tor time was fun. Just getting the hang of aligning all the blastholes and just get- ting used to the simulator, that was chal- lenging. I’ll definitely feel a lot more comfortable being on the drill.” William Kirkness, Indigenous liaison of the Manitoba Construction Sector Council, said in addition to drilling skills, courses like these also aid students by making them job ready, so they can show up every day on time and be pro- ductive. While these students had to leave their communities for training, Kirkness explains a big part of his job, which includes submitting proposals for feder- al funding for training, involves finding Indigenous trainers who speak the local language and can provide construction skills training where students live. The blasthole drilling training program in Thompson was delivered through a partnership of the Manitoba Construction Centre Council and University College of the North, with funding provided by the provincial and federal governments, and the First Nations the students belong to. 34 NOVEMBER 2019 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® EXB Photo by Ian Graham courtesy of the Thompson Citizen.