New members for the Expert Panel

Christo Peltz

Christo is the Company Risk and Safety Manager for AECI Mining. His current role assigns accountability for the safety and risk associated with AECI Mining which includes National Keypoint management, MHI, Safety & Health and Legislative Risk for both our explosives and chemical manufacturing facilities. He has 30 years of experience.

He has investigated many explosives incidents over the years and have a good knowledge of incident investigation and Root Cause Analysis.

He is an experienced explosives practitioner with practical experience in plant, product & packaging design. He also has experience in manufacture, storage, distribution, transport, use and destruction of energetic materials, remediation of explosives contaminated sites.

Henco Bezuidenhout

Henco is currently the Technical Manager at AECI Mining. Leads a team of chemists, Technologists and chemical engineers to provide Research and Technology to ensure that AECI remains competitive in the initiating systems in the commercial market on a global scale.

He has over 33 years’ experience in the explosive industry specifically in explosives research and development. This is split up into military explosives (including insensitive munitions, insensitive military high explosives and primary explosives developments), commercial detonators (including lead free detonators, and boosters developments (alternatives formulations for Pentolite) for the commercial market.

He has been instrumental in developing and driving the AECI Mining Explosives Initiating systems strategy from and R&D perspective since 2007. He also manages the initiating systems group to ensure that the group can deliver on the business objectives as well as comply with the SHE standards of the company. His expertise also includes product and production processes optimization, new product development, test method developments, incident investigations, customer complaint investigation and product technical support.

Andre Pienaar

Andre is currently the Technical Manager at AECI Mining. Leads a team of chemists and chemical engineers to provide Research and Technology to ensure that AECI remains competitive in the bulk explosive commercial market on a global scale.

He has over 19+ years’ experience in the explosive industry. He has been instrumental in developing and driving the AECO Mining Explosives strategy from and R&D perspective since 2009. He also manages the explosives group to ensure that the group can deliver on the business objectives as well as comply with the SHE standards of the company.

Roman Vala

Roman is responsible for R&D department in Austin Powder Detonators based in Czech Rep and the modernization technology department and technology department including chemical lab.

He supervises 50+ engineers and project managers. He is an R&D specialist and has worked in various projects including the development of lead-free composition in electric, electronic and non-electric detonators, new types of detonators and numerous robotic lines.

Ben Noyce

Ben has had 20 years military in explosive ordinance, safety, site planning and incident forensic analysis with an additional 9 years in pyrotechnic manufacturing, equipment designing and process risk analysis. The last several years have been spent deep diving into ESD analysis and prevention.
Bob Woolley

Bob is a senior safety professional with over 26 years’ experience at EPC Groupe, specialising in explosives safety, COMAH/Seveso site management, and environmental compliance. A Chartered Member of IOSH and Fellow of IExpE, he currently supports the delivery of SHEQ across multiple sites in Northern Europe and has helped introduce initiatives such as psychological safety and improved risk management for energetic materials.

He has been involved in the development of industry training and guidance through SAFEX International, BSI, and various working groups, and has contributed to technical papers, eLearning modules, and international webinars.

His qualifications include a BSc in Earth Systems Sciences and certifications in blast engineering and design.

Ramesh Dhoorgapersadh

Ramesh is the General Manager SHERQ, BME and his role is to formulate and direct the BME's global SHERQ strategy to ensure cost-effective on-time safe delivery of the right products to the right place and to mitigate associated risks.

To develop, implement and manage rigorous processes and practices to ensure sustainable SHERQ performance across the value chain to support BME's growing global business requirements, as well as to support SHERQ requirements for BME’s global customers.

Compile and execute on the technical training requirements to align with mine requirements as well as in-country requirements.

Noel Hsu

Noel has recently retired from Orica Explosives after a career spanning 37 years. In that time he has worked in numerous positions and technical areas from process engineering, bulk explosives R&D, hazard study leader, incident investigator to auditor.

He has been a member of several international working groups related to explosives and has been a SAFEX Board Member since 2013. Noel has developed relationships with several global organisations - safety and security. E.g. UN, INTERPOL, FBI, SCO.

Noel’s skills include process design with a focus on safety, hazard study leader, Policy drafting for DG transport, establishing policy for AN storage and Product Security.

Dirk Voogt

Dirk is the General Manager for Production and Logistics in BME and has 25 years’ experience in commercial explosives manufacturing, logistics, Automation and R&D including: ANFO, Connector Capped Fuse Assemblies, Shock Tube Assemblies, Electronic Delay Detonator Assembly, Cartridge Explosives, Pumpable Bulk Emulsions, Emulsifier and Used Oil Processing: Production planning, coordination and control - achieved safety, productivity, quality, costs and volume targets.

His expertise includes product and production processes during new process design, process automation, new product design/development and R&D, modification proposal review, risk assessments, HAZOPs, incident investigations, customer complaint investigation, product technical support queries from business, training and training program development

Rao Srinivasa

Rao has more than 40 years of experience in explosive industry in manufacture, quality control, R&D and safety.

He conducted R&D on various high energy materials and collaborated with various defence labs for development.

He has presented papers in national and international seminars.

He has also had teaching experience and published more than 45 papers. He directed 4 scholars for their PhD work.