Austin Powder’s Capers honored for blasting expertise

John Capers, right, served on the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 495 and 498 Committee on Explosives and as a technical advisor and reviewer for many publications and programs. Photo courtesy of Austin Powder

John Capers, technical manager at Austin Powder, was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ (ODNR) Division of Mineral Resources Management.

The award was presented at the Ohio Drilling & Blasting Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

During his 42-year career at Austin Powder, Capers has been responsible for training more than 1,100 new blasters around the world at seminars. Since the 1980s, he has been the ODNR’s sole instructor for teaching surface blasting for coal and industrial minerals program, which is required to obtain blaster certification pursuant to Section 1501:13-9-10 of the Ohio Administrative Code.

“Throughout John Capers’ career, he has been known by fellow employees, competitors and customers for his strong knowledge of explosives and their application,” says Dave True, director of Austin Powder. “Mr. Capers is eager to share his knowledge and opinions even when they may not be universally accepted. Austin Powder and the explosives industry have benefited from his participation.”

In additional recognition, Capers received the International Society of Explosives Engineers’ Blasters Leadership Award in 2003.

“We are pleased John has been recognized once again for his contributions to the blasting industry,” says John Rathbun, Austin Powder president and CEO. “Mr. Capers has been one of our key guys to help us with product and people development. It’s great that the state of Ohio has recognized him in this way.”