AGG1 Academy 2018 schedule

By |  February 22, 2018

More than 50 educational sessions are available March 6-8 to those who attend the AGG1 Academy. Sessions are designed to help aggregate industry professionals learn best practices, discover new technologies and develop skills in topic areas related to aggregate production, safety, technology, management and environmental stewardship. The AGG1 Academy program takes place at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center, and following is a schedule.

TUES., MARCH 6

7:30 – 9:00 AM

T41 – Drones, Aerial Data and the Digital Job Site
Emmanuel de Maistre, Airware, Room 310B
Whether your goal is to optimize haul roads, analyze the safety of your work site, maintain compliance or track production levels against your project schedules, drones are an essential tool for digitizing and optimizing operations at aggregate sites. Many companies think about drones as a replacement for existing tools, but it is much bigger than that – it is about giving organizations greater visibility across all of their sites, whenever and wherever they need it. As we move toward complete digitization of work across industries, the need for accurate and immediate data that can be transformed into actionable business insights is continuously increasing, especially at the enterprise level in the aggregate industry.

T42 – Community Relations: Implementing Educational Programs
Jenna Emerson, and Aleta Mitchell-Tapping, Cemex, Room 310C
Community relations are an important aspect of any operation. As part of these efforts, Cemex has been actively involved with education in the communities in which it operates. Cemex sites provide a unique learning opportunity for both students and teachers with several newly created programs, which include a minerals identification program for fourth graders, a Boy Scout summer camp, DIG IT! program and more. Learn how Cemex developed and implemented these programs, and how it has helped community outreach efforts and industry awareness.

T43 – Conveyors 101
Jeff Jurasits, ASGCO; and James Rigley, LafargeHolcim, Room 332A&D
Conveyors are lifelines to any aggregate plant’s productivity. This presentation will review the “Conveyor 101” program that has proven successful at LafargeHolcim facilities across the country. Attendees will gain an understanding of conveyor systems, conveyor belts, their components and how they affect your plant’s performance. Get safety guidelines for working on or around conveyors, tips on reducing fugitive material and dust, and ideas on how to implement a conveyor inspection and maintenance service program that works for your plant.

T44 – Medical & Recreational Marijuana: Will Your Workplace Go To Pot?
Adele Abrams, Law Office of Adele L Abrams PC Room 320B
About 42 percent of Americans live and work in states where medical marijuana has been legalized, and 21 percent live in states where recreational marijuana is permitted under state law. The federal government’s position on enforcement is evolving, and court decisions interpreting protections for medical marijuana workers are yielding some unpredictable results. This session will discuss legal developments, both case law and statutory, implications for workplace safety and enforcement exposure from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), policy positioning drug testing as “discipline” against injured workers, and the pivotal issue of how to determine “impairment” versus “use.”

T45 – Taking Ownership of Safety
David Finley and Gaylan Towle, Dolese Bros. Co., Room 320C
Discover how this aggregate producer shifted from a management-driven safety approach to employee-owned safety in order to successfully drive a culture change within the organization. This approach led to a 70 percent reduction in risky behaviors and a 50 percent reduction in worker’s compensation costs. Through this case study, Dolese Bros. will show other aggregate operators how they, too, can implement this approach, including lessons learned and helpful resources.

T46 – Attracting and Retaining Millennials Without Annoying the Baby Boomers
Bronwyn Weaver, Q4 Impact Group, Room 332B&E
The workforce in the aggregate industry is changing faster than ever before. The my-way-or-the-highway Baby Boomers built the industry as we know it today, but the industry is rapidly changing. Ten thousand Baby Boomers retire each day. How companies react to this shift will determine their success over the next 10 years. Attracting and retaining a quality workforce of Millennials means breaking through old ways of thinking and reinventing the work cultures at our operations. This session will explore the best ways to communicate, collaborate and reduce frustrations to create a productive, happy work environment.

T47 – Site Selection
Tim Harms, KPI-JCI & Astec Mobile Screens, Room 330A
This presentation will focus on the various considerations when evaluating quarry development. As operators continue to use the highest quality veins of virgin aggregate, the financial viability of a site becomes more challenging. The session will review the best practices for site analysis and selection to ensure the most cost-effective solution while producing the highest quality end products possible.

T48 – Methods of Underwater Excavation and Transport
Troy Banks, Dolese Bros. Co.; Charles Johnson and Bill Wetta, DSC Dredge, Room 330B
Explore past, current and future methods of extracting and transporting aggregate materials below the surface of bodies of water. The suitability, capital cost and operating cost of mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic dredging equipment shall be investigated for deposits of varying depth, compaction, gradation and transportation distance. Both deepening existing deposits and greenfield sites shall be explored. After attending this presentation, attendees should be able to choose the types of dredges and techniques that can achieve the desired production rate; provide equipment manufacturers or sellers the necessary production, deposit and climate information for a valid quotation; and optimally evaluate dredge equipment choices based on initial cost and cost per ton operation.

9:30 – 11:00 AM

T51 – Training the Aggregates Worker
Jerad Heitzler, Martin Engineering, Room 310B
Your employees are your organization’s most valuable asset – and also your costliest. Training your employees to maximize their success is essential, but training adults is not easy. Employees often dread training, which lowers the effectiveness of the training – wasting your time and money. This presentation, based on more than 20 years of study, will help industry leaders understand how to effectively engage, motivate and educate their workers to optimize their training results. You will discover techniques to make your training efforts successful and unlock your most valuable resource’s full potential.

T52 – Crushing 101
Mark Krause, McLanahan Corp., Room 332A&D
This session will give an overview of the various types of crushers and their application, including a review of selection criteria, basic application and what can be done by the operator to improve performance. By providing an overview of each type of machine and how they work, attendees will better understand what tool to select for an application and how to set it up for best performance.

T53 – New Life for Abandoned Quarries
Trevor Ames, Gostabilization International, Room 310C
The century-old Bellwood Quarry in southwest Atlanta provided gravel to the surrounding Atlanta region for more than 100 years, and now that it’s at the end of its life, it continues to contribute to the city’s development by serving as the backdrop for various movies and shows and helping to address Atlanta’s water shortage issues. Mines or quarries are usually scrutinized when they are active as being disruptive to neighbors with truck traffic, blasting operations or even dust in these now developed urban areas. This operation is a great example of how this critical resource for urban development will become a part of Atlanta’s water shortage solution and ultimately, the Bellwood Quarry will tie into the planned Westside Reservoir Park – Atlanta Beltline development, allowing all visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of the area and benefit from its historic background.

T54 – Safety Versus Gun Rights in the Workplace
Terry Potter, Husch Blackwell LLP, Room 332B&E
More than 20 states enacted “Parking Lot” laws or “Guns in Trunks” laws, making it illegal for employers to prohibit the possession of firearms in employee-owned vehicles on employer-owned property. Often, these laws constrain employers from taking adverse employment action against employees who lawfully possess firearms in their vehicles. At the same, workplace violence is a growing concern that also may increase duties and liability for employers. This webinar will provide an overview and tips for complying with gun legislation that affects the workplace while still following legal obligations on workplace safety.

T55 – What Color Is Your Flag? A Visual Approach to Changing Your Safety Culture
Brian Bigley, Lehigh Hanson, Room 320B
This is a roadmap of how one company moved its safety culture from reactive safety measurements to an easily identifiable system of proactive safety measures that reinforced a growing safety culture. This system is compatible with almost any culture and can be expanded to fit new challenges and needs as the safety culture grows. Best of all, the system is easily transferable to any size operation or industry, and costs pennies to create and pilot. Further refinements can be grown in-house, and adapted to almost any existing technology.

T57 – Mine Planning
Aleta Mitchell-Tapping, Cemex, Room 330A

T58 – A New Way to Improve Worker Health & Safety Performance
Emily Haas, NIOSH; Joe McGuire, Oldcastle Materials, Room 330B
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tried a different method to analyze safety climate assessment results in an effort to understand what types of organizational and personal factors play a role in workers’ health and safety performance and which ones could be modified to produce better safety results. Rather than just providing aggregate companies with a typical score, NIOSH focuses on which predictors have the biggest influence on worker safety-related decisions at their specific site. In this presentation, speakers discuss themes that have a large influence at aggregate sites which were not perceived as such by workers.

2:00 – 3:30 PM

T61 – Aggregates Financials: Everything You Want To Know But Were Afraid to Ask
Joel Galassini, Cemex, Room 310B
The financial statements are for accountants, right? Yet, many times we think that we have had a good month only to be disappointed by the final numbers. What happened? This class will provide the participants with a working understanding of the financial statements in actual terms that you can understand. From sales to production and inventory, the basic concepts will be covered, and you will walk away with an understanding of how the money flows and how the bottom line is calculated.

T62 – Learn How to Protect Your Contracts and Profits from Fuel Price Volatility
Mark Bloom and Avi Teplitsky, Angus Energy, Room 310C
Fuel prices can change 70 to 80 percent in just a few months. This can make budgeting and bidding on new contracts difficult for companies when trying to factor in fuel costs. This presentation will give your business the financial tools to reduce the impact of fuel price volatility on your margins. This knowledge will help you to stabilize and manage your fuel budget and give your business a competitive advantage to bid under any market condition. After attending this presentation, you will understand the origins of fuel and the factors that affect the price; fuel risk management and best practices to set up a proper fuel budget; different practices used to buy and protect future fuel prices; and more.

T63 – Screening 101
Joe Schlabach, Deister Machine Co., Room 332A&D
Screening is the critical “cashbox” of an aggregate operation. This course, intended for novice plant design personnel, will present the basic concepts necessary to understand screening operations. Learn about essential items like stratification, separation, bed depth, and the effects of stroke, screen media and their application, amplitude and speed. Attendees will gain tips to help existing screening operations while gaining an understanding for future plant expansions.

T64 – Conveyors 201: Maximizing Conveyor Performance
Mike Cremeens, Shaw Almex Cos.; Richard McConnell, Flexco, Room 332B&E
There’s a big difference between seeing an issue with conveyor performance and truly understanding the issue. Part of gaining that understanding is knowing the specifications of conveyor belt construction, operational forces, transition distances, load zone requirements and tracking cause and effect. And when you understand and implement industry standards on belt selection, take-up requirements and structural standards, you can maximize performance, reduce the number of trips to the conveyor and avoid costly and potentially hazardous repairs. This interactive class demonstrates how the best of standards are often violated, and how to avoid doing so in order to more accurately identify and rectify belt performance issues.

T65 – Looking Back, Looking Forward: MSHA Enforcement Update and Compliance
Nick Scala, Conn Maciel Carey LLP, Room 320B
This presentation will review MSHA enforcement trends and developments over the first full year of the Trump administration. Specifically, it will highlight changes implemented through MSHA’s metal and nonmetal division, which apply to the nation’s stone, sand and gravel operators. The session will examine the status of MSHA’s rulemaking efforts and any new policy distributed by the agency in 2017 and early 2018. In addition to identifying areas of increased scrutiny by MSHA, the presentation will discuss strategies to maintain compliance and avoid enforcement in these areas.

T66 – Taking Safety to the Bank: Manage Your Equipment for Safety and Profits
Bill Campbell and Mark Kenyon, Applied Industrial Technologies, Room 320C
Worker safety should be a prominent consideration when choosing plant equipment and upgrading systems. Proactive maintenance programs and plant optimization make your operation run more efficiently with fewer breakdowns, therefore reducing the opportunities for a safety risk, accident or incident due to equipment failure. Additionally, equipment and systems that protect worker safety can also result in cost savings over time. In this session, you’ll learn how to design and select plant equipment and replacement parts in order to make sure you don’t experience a premature failure, including the benefits of equipment standardization, cost savings of upgrading your plant, and real-life statistics demonstrating the advantages of plant upgrades.

T67 – Increase Mine Worker Hazard Recognition and Risk Assessment Abilities
Brianna Elter, NIOSH, Room 330A
Results from NIOSH research show that mine workers at all experience levels differ in their hazard recognition and risk assessment abilities relative to safety professionals. These abilities are critical when performing a workplace examination. To improve hazard recognition and workplace examination ability, NIOSH created the EXAMiner, a tool that can be used to train mine workers to identify hazards at their workplace and to more systematically assess the risk associated with hazards. This presentation includes a summary of key research findings as well as a demonstration and suggestions for how to incorporate the EXAMiner into your current workplace examination and hazard recognition training plan.

T68 – Aggregate Quality Control Testing 101
James Cox, Cemex, Room 330B
Gain a solid knowledge of rudimentary aggregate quality control testing procedures. We’ll discuss gradation, -#200, Finus Modulus, specific gravity, absorption and LA abrasion. This session will also provide a demonstration of how best to store your data and evaluate performance using Process Behavior Measurement (SPC), monitor variability, predict future results and/or the need for change in the production process.


WED., MARCH 7

10:30 – 11:30 AM

W51 – Outreach is More Than Just Writing a Check
Christopher Hopkins, River Landing Solutions LLC, Room 310B
Sometimes, community outreach seems more like an obligation than an opportunity. But in this day and age of NIMBYism, the need to build allies is more essential than ever. This session will present examples of some of the most effective – and cost-effective – ways to get involved in your community, including the cost structures and benefits of each effort and how to obtain the most positive attention for your good works. Learn how to get so popular in your community that it will be impossible to close you down.

W52 – Washing & Classifying 101
John Bennington, Superior Industries, Room 332A&D
As quarries progress into their reserves, operations are processing material with a higher level of clay and silt. While some materials may require only rinsing, others require scrubbing to remove clay and other deleterious materials. Attend this session to gain a comprehensive overview of topics, including aggregate washing techniques, maintenance routines, classifying tanks, screws versus screens, troubleshooting common washing problems and the consequences of wrong-sized equipment.

W53 – How to Get the Most Out of Your VSI Crusher
Neil Hise, Cemco, Room 310C
Learn about the physics and function of vertical shaft impact (VSI) crushing. This interactive presentation will cover types of applications, mechanics, different configurations, automation, maintenance and basic best practices regarding the operation of and hazards to your VSI. Through photos, videos and animations, we’ll discuss ways to optimize your VSI and troubleshoot common issues. Take advantage of more than 55 years of experience with VSI crushers.

W54 – The Four Stages of Fines Recovery
Wes Edevane and Stephen Shortsleeve, McLanahan Corp., Room 320B
Get a comprehensive overview of the four stages of fines recovery, fines handling, water management and water recycling in a typical wet processing aggregate operation. You will hear about methods of fines recovery, benefits of using a fines recovering system, the future of potential environmental regulatory changes and how they may impact fine particle waste and storage.

W55 – Steep Slope Erosion and Sedimentation Control
Patrick Sullivan, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Room 320C
Hear the case study of how one West Virginia limestone producer addressed slope erosion and sedimentation control despite several unique hydraulic and hydrologic features associated with the steep valley slopes, while taking into account compliance with a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General Water Pollution Control Permit and an erosion and soil control plan.

W56 – Belt Conveyor Safety
Jerad Heitzler, Martin Engineering, Room 330A
Belt conveyors pose risks to workers who work on or around them. They also pose risks to managers and supervisors of those workers. This presentation will offer a nuts-and-bolts look at the hazards of belt conveyors and how to protect against them. Learn specific tactics to keep yourself and your employees safe around belt conveyors, including: emergency stop switches and an explanation of what they do and don’t do to protect a worker, recommendations for best practices in machine guarding, energy stored in belt conveyor systems, and why standard lock-out/tag-out procedures should be supplemented to improve plant safety.

W57 – Making GHS Education Fun!
Brian Bigley, Lehigh Hanson, Room 330B
This training will demonstrate some simple, inexpensive methods you can use to teach chemical safety information to your employees. In addition, the skills learned in this presentation can be used to teach nearly any safety/educational material in your plant. The materials needed for success are those found in almost any plant operation of any size: a computer, typical Office programs and a photocopy machine or printer.

W58 – Blasting 101
Joe Nawrocki, Dyno Nobel, Room 332B&E
Drilling and blasting are integral parts of the total mining process and affect many downstream costs. This session will outline the basics of shot measurements, blast design, layout and hole loading required for a safe and efficient blast. An understanding of these steps will increase the chances for a successful blast. Methods for measuring success will also be discussed.

2:00 – 3:30 PM

W61 – The ABCs of UAVs – Key Steps to Get Your Drone Program Off the Ground Legally
Erik Dullea, Husch Blackwell, Room 310B
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and systems are creating exciting new opportunities for companies to scope out, plan, conduct and monitor operations. However, the airspace is now regulated. This session will provide all the background and tips you need to get your UAV program started safely and legally.

W62 – Developing Employees from the Ground Up in the Aggregates Industry
Bill Carpenter, Rogers Group, Room 310C
As the U.S. supply of skilled equipment operators continues to decline, aggregate companies have to create innovative training programs to develop the skills of the workforce of tomorrow. Rogers Group took on the challenge of creating a comprehensive heavy machine operator training program to develop skills that drive safety, quality and productivity. This presentation will provide details to allow other aggregate producers to create similar programs. In addition, the presentation will provide a candid assessment of the opportunities and pitfalls of implementing such a program.

W63 – Conveyors 301: Lower Your Cost Per Ton and Resolve Operational Concerns
John Garrison, Superior Industries, Room 332B&E
If you’ve ever had to reprocess an out of spec stockpile, you can understand how important it is to ensure material quality is guaranteed at loadout. This seminar will compare methods of conveying and stockpiling to ensure your material maintains gradation. When should you truck product instead of conveying? Analyzing the type of material, distance, elevation, environment and labor requirements are all part of the equation when determining the best approach for your operation. We will review how two operations reduced their cost per ton and environmental impact when they reduced the number of times they handled product with conveying installations.

W64 – Optimizing Cone Crusher Performance
Jeff Gray, Telsmith, Room 332A&D
There are many operating parameters that factor into optimizing cone crusher performance. Matching the crush performance to your desired production needs will force you to analyze various aspects of the installation. We will cover all of the variables of today’s high-speed cone and help you understand what effects each has on output capacity, gradation and cubicity. We’ll cover machine sampling and benchmarking as key ingredients in the optimization process.

W65 – Take the Lead During an MSHA Inspection
Kim Grande, Q4 Impact Group, Room 320B
Knee-jerk responses to an MSHA inspection can get in the way of creating a supportive safety environment for your team. This session explores a deeper understanding of MSHA regulations and highlights the biggest areas of misinterpretations and misunderstandings. The goal is to go beyond not only satisfying the inspector but also to create a truly safety-driven process when MSHA is on site. The team presenting includes legal counsel as well as industry-certified safety professionals.

W66 – Safety by Choice, Not by Chance: A Case Study on Cultural Transformation
Ronnie Constable, Martin Marietta; Justin Ganschow, Caterpillar, Room 320C
Martin Marietta’s Woodville, Ohio, facility had a good safety record, but its executives wanted to be better than good. There was a concern that some results were due to luck, so they embarked on a proactive safety culture transformation that would enable long-term success. It was then that Martin Marietta decided it would do safety by choice, not by chance. Implementing Caterpillar’s Zero-Incident Performance (ZIP) process, Martin Marietta engaged all levels of the workforce and developed new, sustainable processes and accountabilities. By involving front-line employees in a continuous improvement team, it developed and implemented a Culture Awareness Participation (CAP) process.

W67 – Wet Frac Sand Processing
Matthew Lear, McLanahan Corp., Room 330A
This seminar will focus on specific techniques and equipment used to wash and separate raw frac sand into multiple product stockpiles ready to be conveyed to the dry plant. The integral theme of the presentation will focus on the equipment used to make these wet separations that are generally undersized and not maximized to their full potential. By following a few simple rules and with the right process design, maximum plant efficiencies can easily be achieved which, in turn, lead to a more profitable business.

W68 – Sales Metrics: Are Your Measurements Driving the Right Behavior?
Joel Galassini, Cemex, Room 330B
By using the right metrics, both quantitative and qualitative, a company can systematically build a solid customer base that minimizes its risk while maximizing its overall profit. This session will discuss a variety of metrics that can be used to measure sales, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each. You’ll learn how these metrics support the sales process and lead to overall profitability. Some of the metrics will include: average sales price, volume, revenue, margin, customer contacts and win percentage.


THURS., MARCH 8

7:30 – 9:00 AM

TH41 – ROI of Advanced Technology for Optimizing Sales and Operational Planning
Zeljko Basurovic, Trimble, Room 310B
Technology is cool, but how does it help you make money? In this session, we will look at a few different angles for quarry operations professionals and process improvement managers to evaluate the benefits and ROI of advanced technology on their business. Bridging the gaps between sales and operations is essential for ensuring effective delivery to the customer. Learn which costs can be affected by today’s latest technology, what benefits to expect and how to calculate the impact for your own specific operation.

TH42 – Proactively Identifying and Planning for Risk in the Aggregate Industry
Brian Buck, Alexander Edstrom, Jared Erickson and Greg Gold, Stantec, Room 310C
The aggregate and construction industries are highly competitive and time-sensitive industries. Delivering construction materials and projects on time and on budget is hard work without worrying about risks to your operational well-being. Those of us who have spent time in the industry know that you cannot afford any significant unplanned events and still reach financial and productivity goals. We will discuss legal, environmental, water management, geological/geotechnical, and public relations risk, and how to be proactive and plan now for what could go wrong. Preparing for these situations ahead of time and not having to rely on your crisis management skills will reduce your operational risk and save you time and money.

TH43 – Crushing 201: Attaining the Highest Percentage of Pay Product
Ian Pendergrass, KPI-JCI & Astec Mobile Screens, Room 332A&D
This presentation will review the different principles of a cone crusher to identify the key elements that encourage attrition crushing and a desirable product shape. Learn how to attain a more cubical product, which helps producers get a higher percentage of pay product on the ground.

TH44 – Developing a Communications Strategy to Support a Journey to Zero
Justin Ganschow, Caterpillar; Don Rosenbarger, Delta Cos., Room 320B
At every level of an organization, the way leaders talk about safety has a direct impact on attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. A safety improvement journey fueled by accountability and positive recognition requires a communication strategy that leverages a variety of written and active messaging opportunities to inform, involve and inspire. Delta Cos. committed to an engagement-based approach to safety improvement in 2015 and learned quickly that effective communication at each level delivers the trust, responsibility and openness required for measurable culture change. This case study presentation will focus on a strategy within a strategy – Delta’s communication tactics to ensure the success of its safety culture initiatives.

TH45 – Dissecting Maintenance
Wade Lippert, KPI-JCI & Astec Mobile Screens, Room 320C
Learn how to perform maintenance of an aggregate operation by separating different aspects of maintenance into quantifiable parts to make them obtainable daily. Discover how proper equipment operation ties into proper maintenance and, in turn, helps maximize production. Your maintenance program can become more efficient by implementing some simple changes, including streamlining your maintenance procedures and supporting education and continuous improvement in your workforce.

TH46 – Practical Approaches to the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Slips, Trips and Falls
Jonisha Pollard, NIOSH, Room 330A
Overexertion and slips, trips and falls continue to be the top causes of injuries in aggregate mining. Many of these injuries occur in scenarios common to most mine sites, and many mineworkers conduct their jobs around hazards that may be undetected or just not perceived as a hazard. Hazard identification and recognition are essential to ensuring a safe and productive workplace. This session will provide an overview of the types of injuries affecting aggregate mine workers and discuss methods for mitigating risk for these injuries. The focus of this workshop is on prevention of injury through the recognition and mitigation of hazards in the workplace.

TH47 – Bridging Soft Soils and Voids During Reclamation
Marco Isola and Eric Michiels, Maccaferri Inc., Room 330B
Quarrying sometimes occurs in urban areas, and abandoned quarries can be an eyesore or even a potential hazard. Reclamation of closed or existing quarries presents an opportunity for development of commercial, residential and recreational activities, but first one must address threats like falling debris, large pools of water and sinkholes. Backfilling is not only expensive but can lead to voids in the backfill, making the material susceptible to settlement. Developers across the world are increasingly using geogrids to bridge the voids beneath subdivisions built over closed quarries, to bridge sinkholes on highways and transfer the loads in pile caps. Learn more about geogrids and how this technology offers a cost-effective way to bring closure to a mine or help repurpose it to add value to the surrounding community.

TH48 – Screening 201: Screening Maintenance

Robert Cameron and Tiffany Dawson, Major Wire Industries, Room 332B&E
Whether you are producing at full production, a few days a week, or rotating a single crew among multiple plant sites, common screening problems could be robbing you of your efforts to maximize your screening operation and production. These problems lead directly to reduced production rates, lost operating time and poor product quality. All three dictate your cost and profit per ton. This session will clearly identify common screening problems, explain how they affect production and quality, and what solutions will solve them.

9:30 – 11:00 AM

TH51 – Employment Law: Hiring to Firing and Everything in Between
Stephen Cockerham and Kayt Kopen, Husch Blackwell, Room 310B
Get a comprehensive overview of key topics related to hiring, employing and firing employees. Make sure you understand essential do’s and don’ts of employee recruiting and interviewing, managing medical leave, paying employees correctly and Fair Labor Standards Act compliance, employee background checks under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and how to fire employees while avoiding liability.

TH52 – Screening 301: Maximizing Screening Efficiency
Craig Burke and Mike Garrison, Polydeck Screen Corp., Room 332A&D
Get a comprehensive overview of an effective screening operation and learn the appropriate application of various types of screens, how to measure their effectiveness and an overall evaluation of the condition of the screen and structure. Specific topics that will be discussed include screen types, stroke profiles, g-force, screen efficiency, sampling protocols, screen axis movement, structure movement and examples of improvements. The performance evaluation section of this presentation will include a case study with an existing aggregate producer.

TH53 – How to Control Dust from Aggregate Processing Plants
Mark Kestner, NESCO, Room 332B&E
Dust emissions from mining and material handling operations arise from four major sources: unpaved roads, paved roads, material processing and stockpiles. Dust emissions are a regulated pollutant and must be controlled to comply with federal, state and local air quality standards. This presentation describes a method for developing a dust control plan that relies upon a combination of good operating and engineering practices coupled with wet suppression and dry collection systems. Based on the philosophy that good dust control is good process control, this method is designed to comply with regulation without sacrificing productivity. By treating dust control as a problem of process control rather than a regulatory issue, plants can employ low-cost, low-efficiency controls first to reduce reliance upon more expensive and efficient control measures. As a result, affected facilities can comply with air quality standards at the lowest possible cost.

TH54 – An Eye Opener: Why Culture Impacts Fatigue Risk & How Technology Can Help
Todd Dawson, Caterpillar, Room 310C
Fatigue is a leading contributor to 35 to 40 percent of incidents, and surveys of shift workers demonstrate that nearly half of the population nods off while working at least once per week. This stark reality has driven the development of technologies that deliver valuable information about the conditions under which employees operate, but few companies are equipped to leverage the data in a fatigue risk management system that touches all the influencers of a safety culture to deliver safer work conditions and improved performance. Discover technologies used to generate safety-related data and how an organizational culture impacts overall performance improvement, especially when systems that engage all levels of the organization are utilized to mitigate fatigue risk.

TH56 – Operational Benefits of Using Thickeners and Presses
Tom Keirn, McLanahan Corp., Room 320B
Water is a resource that requires a focus on recovery along with conservation and environmental impact. Two methods of water management include thickeners, also known as clarifiers, and presses. This presentation will focus on the operation of thickeners and recessed plate presses and their operational benefits.

TH57 – Pit, Haul Fleet and Crushing Optimization

Tony Gianni, Trimble, Room 320C
The extraction process usually involves several different types of machines interacting with each other in order to transport blast material to the processing areas. As all pits are designed differently, each one has a unique set of problems, behaviors and bottlenecks that affect production and reduce efficiency. In this session, we will review some of the common causes of increased cost and reduced efficiency in the extraction operation. We will analyze the effect on productivity and production cost, how these problems can be detected and monitored using technology, and the potential improvement to expect after an improved process is implemented.

TH58 – Wetlands Delineation and Mitigation Perspectives
Mark Williams, Luck Companies, Room 330A
What are wetlands and how do they affect our mine planning process? What are our choices when we have to mitigate for wetlands impacts? This session will discuss the changing definition of waters and how that will affect the ways in which we impact wetlands and purchase or create wetlands mitigation. Aggregate companies have many options because of their accessibility to equipment, acreage and a long history of environmental stewardship.


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