Blasting, explosives, and metallurgical solutions provider BME is supporting mines as they navigate rising operational complexity, including deeper orebodies, declining grades, geological variability, higher stripping ratios, increased geotechnical risk, and growing Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scrutiny. BME ENGINEERS PREDICTABLE BLASTING IN UNPREDICTABLE GEOLOGY
D uring an in-house Nishen Hariparsad, General Manager for Technology and Marketing at BME, said blast outcomes depend on how well geology is understood, measured and managed – not only at design stage, but throughout the blast lifecycle. “Too often, blast designs are expected to perform as though the ground were consistent,” he said. “At the same time, many operations still respond to poor performance reactively – increasing powder webinar on improving blast outcomes in challenging geological conditions last month,
vibration and backbreak are better controlled,” he said. This reduces dilution and secondary blasting, stabilising costs and improving value chain performance. He also highlighted the link between predictability and safety. “Geological variability remains a leading contributor to blast-related incidents, including misfires, flyrock and instability. Improving predictability reduces risk to people, equipment and the environment.” He stressed that no single product could solve complex geology. “Improved blasting requires an integrated approach,” he said. “It involves understanding ground conditions, aligning explosive energy with geology, and applying precise initiation to
outcomes after the fact.” In today’s environment, this
approach is no longer viable. “Mines face heightened safety expectations, greater scrutiny of inefficiencies, intensifying ESG requirements and tightening margins,” he said. “A reactive approach is costly and unsustainable.” Consistent fragmentation, improved grades and controlled risk Hariparsad emphasised that predictable blasting is not about eliminating geological complexity, but engineering around it. “When blast performance becomes predictable, fragmentation is more consistent, grades improve, and risks such as flyrock,
factor, adjusting burden and spacing, and trying to correct
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