The process of certifying experienced Nozzlemen in recognition of their exemplary theoretical and practical skills has begun in earnest with the Certification of six expert Nozzlemen; three from Ireland and three from Australia.
The first assessments were carried out in May 2010 at the Lisheen Mine, County Tipperary, Ireland by examiner Adam Barker. The men are employed by Anglo American plc who owns the mine. Jonathon Talbot, Geotechnical Officer at the mine said, “Lisheen mine are delighted for the sprayers on passing the assessment and found the certification process very useful and will use the EFNARC Nozzleman certification scheme as part of the continuing improvements in shotcreting being conducted at the Lisheen Mines.”
The second round of assessments was carried out in June 2010 at the Newcrest Gold Mine Telfer, Western Australia by examiner Bo Kalin. The men are employed by Jetcrete Australia. Tony Finn, General Manager, Jetcrete Australia commented that “In Australia there is no recognised national system and whilst we don’t need the EFNARC certification scheme as such, I can see this changing sometime in the near future and if we already have our people certified by an internationally recognised body this will give us a competitive advantage.”
EFNARC continues to roll out the scheme and is in communication with ITA with a view to obtaining ITA CET and ITA WG 12 endorsement of the scheme later this year. Additionally EFNARC continues to recruit Nozzleman Examiners and can confirm that the next course is arranged for 05-07 October 2010. Anyone interested should complete and return the Nozzleman Examiner Application form available from the EFNARC website www.efnarc.org; visit http://www.efnarc.org/Nozzleman_Certification_Scheme.html for more details. Those wishing to attain Nozzleman Certification should contact their nearest Nozzleman Examiner, details available on the EFNARC website: http://www.efnarc.org/Nozzleman_Certified_Examiners.html.
The Nozzleman Certification Scheme has been developed by EFNARC, the European Federation for Specialist Construction Chemicals and Concrete Systems, in recognition that the tunnelling and mining industry requires a means of identifying expert Nozzlemen. The scheme offers certification to Nozzlemen who have already gained the necessary experience and skills in underground mechanised wet sprayed concrete method and can demonstrate their technical knowledge and practical ability. The scheme operates through Examiners who assess experienced Nozzlemen for their theoretical and practical skills at their workplace.
The scheme has been under development for many years by EFNARC member companies and made its historical kick-off at the first Examiner Assessment Course in September 2009 at the Hagerbach Test Gallery in Switzerland. To date 12 Examiners from many different countries throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia have been certified by EFNARC.
EFNARC has previously published technical reports and guidelines covering Sprayed Concrete, Specialist Tunnelling Products for TBM, Thin Spray-on Liners, Concrete Repairs, Flooring, Self Compacting Concrete, and Fire Protection Products in Tunnels and Viscosity Modifying Admixtures for Concrete. The published reports are all available for free download from the EFNARC website: www.efnarc.org.
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