** ******** ******, ******** ****, Western Cape. South Africa. Email : ********@*****.*** cell: +277********( S.A .)
CV – RONALD RASS
EXPERTISE AND QUALLIFICATIONS:
**** – 1971 Roosevelt High school – Form 3
Diploma – South Africa Chamber of mines
Blasting Licenses – South Africa and Botswana.
Onsetters and banksman certificate – South Africa
Gas and gas testing certificate – South Africa.
I HAVE WORKED WITH MANY NATIONALITIES ALL OVER THE GLOBE I.E. RUSSIAN, M ALASIAN,
GERMANS, BOTSWANA, AND BASUTHO, JAPANESE AND CHINESE. A very good team spirit was achieved as
well as communication skills between the different cultures.
(SPOUSE IS ASIAN)
TUNNELS AND SHAFTS – Expertise – (Foreman /Shiftboss)
• D r ill and blast, Support of bad ground Areas, Concrete lining /formwork, concrete
r epairs, crack injection, grouting using high pressure pumps doing cavity and
backfill grouting. Construction: Rails/Tracks, pipes: air water, grouting columns.
E xcavation/cutting with TB M.
• Embankment /Slope stabilisation using, wi re meshing/Lacing and anchor support as
w ell as guniting.
• Construction and installation of gabions at culverts and at slope retaining walls.
• Water sealing using ppc cement and chemical I nsta grout pumped from batching plant
to 50mm high pressure lines down to shaft bottom: used 6 boom jumbo for cover
d rilling and then pumping chemical grout under pressure up to 50 bars.
Shotcreting,Guniting and wetcreting in bad ground conditions with long anchor support and tendons to
stabilize the ground.
CIVIL CONSTRUCTION (TUNNELS AND UNDERGROUND MINING) -Expertise – ( Foreman/Shift
boss/Act Manager)
• Concrete lining using 15 meter Needle beam /formwork – continuous pours.
• Concrete repairs at honeycomb areas, crack injection for hairline cracks.
• Underground installations of tip areas, box fronts,winder chambers, pump chambers, conveyor belt systems,
Pipes, tracks, services, ventilation installations and maintenance.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Date : 20 July 2010 to February 2013 - ( Now Self-employed-Retail furniture)
Company Name: Shaft Sinkers
Title : Shift boss/Foreman
Project Name/Description: Eurochem Project – Russia and Impala mines 17 shaft.
Russia – (Foreman)-Supervising the Sinking of a vertical 3.5 diameter shaft through soft ground /clay
conditions ( Potash Minerals) – Excavating with excavator and lining shaft with tubing rings then pressure
grout through tubing rings. In hard rock conditions drill and blast using Atlas Copco Jumbo 6 boom drill rig
drilling 15 meter cover and chemical high pressure grouting, until ground is stabilized before blasting takes
place. (Excessive water seepage from bottom and sides)
17 Shaft – Impala mines – Tunnel development 3,5 x 5,6 and 2,2 x 3,5 Hard rock conditions 1200meters
underground ( Deep Mining ).Tunnel lengths differ between 800meters to 3km – connecting to 16 shaft. Drill
and blast using hand machines and drill rigs (sandvic dd210r – single boomers) and Lhd’s Aard model 5.5 for
mucking. Supervising all works underground as shift boss/foreman.
Date:10 August 2006 to 31 May2010
Company Name: Grinaker LTA construction and mining company.
Title: Shift boss / Foreman
Project Name / Description: ZAC (coal)- Natal S.A. and KCM ( copper)- Zambia.
Zac- Sinking Foreman Supervising operations of a 3,5 meter vertical shaft ( hard rock ) to 400meters to
intercept coal seam, then drill and blast decline shaft for 1,2 km for conveyor system installation. Wetcreted
shaft lining doing 3 to 6 meter lifts using rocky wetcrete machines and mixer. We used atlas copco single boom
drill rigs for decline drilling, handheld S36 machines for shaft. Labour teams
Kcm- Sinking Foreman supervising a sub vertical 5meter shaft for 600 meters, using raise bored stab hole for
breaking point in blasting operations. We used hand held s36 machines to drill vertical down. Installed wire
mesh and split sets for sidewall support and shaft lining.
Supervising the conventional tunnel development 3x3 ends using rock bolts for support. At bad ground
conditions we used wire mesh and lacing to stabilize the ground. At water intersections Cameron pumps were
used for sealing with Portland cement pumping at high pressure till the water was sealed and the holes were
full.
Date: 08 June 2004 to 31July 2006
Company Name: Cemdelsam JV BCL Copper mines –Botswana.
Title: Shift boss/Foreman
Project Name/ Description: Twin 26 degree Decline Tunnel development (ore and
waste)
Supervising the operations of ;Drill and blast 3 shift cycles using atlas copco drill rig and mounted excavator
for cleaning into muck car pulled with winder.( hard rock).Mobile platform Rig used hydraulic cylinders to
move down decline with jacks pushing out against the sidewall to hold rig in place. Cover drilling and
cementating using Cameron high pressure pumps due to excessive water intersections. We also used
Zaltzkitter side loader to lash muck in no2 decline.
Supervision of : Civil constructions of dams, tips, tubular tracks, box fronts, pump stations.
Date: 06 September 2003 to 16 March 2004
Company Name:Brandrill Torrex – Boschfontein West – Rustenburg
Title: Shift boss/Foreman
Project Name/Description: 11degree decline tunnel development – platinum.
Supervising the Drill and blasting operations, in hard rock conditions using amco Lhd’s and atlas copco twin
boom drill rigs. Drilling 3 meter rounds with rock bolt installations. This was done on a multi – blast high speed
development. All underground services and construction works was supervised by me.
Cameron high pressure cementation pumps were used when intersecting water at faults, fissures or dykes, for
sealing off the water, and these operations were under my direct supervision.
Date: January2001 to May 2003
Company Name: Konoike Veidekke, Murray and Roberts JV
Title: Assistant Site Manager
Project Name/Description: Hydro Power Tunnel Kisumu – Kenya.
Supervising drill and blast operations of 4, 2 diameters 3,5km long Headrace Tunnel as well as the concrete
lining using 15 meter needle beam formwork. The contract sum was $ 20,000,000-00
Planning and supervising grouting operations, using packers and high pressure ConMicon pumps for cavity
and contact grouting the voids above the lined concrete. Repair works: Concrete repairs, mortar repairs, crack
injection – to obtain water tight tunnel.
Managing contractors in landscaping and retaining structures and walls to prevent soil erosion as well as slope
support using mesh and rock bolting and some areas doing guniting.
Site organisation and procurement in absence of site manager (engineer).
Date: January 2000 to December2000
Company Name: Hochtief Construction Company
Title: Shift boss/Foreman
Project Name/ Description: Lesotho Highlands Water Project (Hydro Power)
Supervising TBM operations (General) – Cavity grouting, segment installations, cutting operations, tippler
device and tramming of loco and muck cars.
Date: January1997 toDecember1999
Company Name: BCL PTY LTD –COPPER MINE
Title: Shift boss/Foreman
Project Name/Description: Bomagwato Concessions –Special projects.
I was in charge of all the trackless machines and production, drill and blast for tunnel development 5x3 and
chairlift decline development 4.5x3.flat development was done with drill rigs single boomers and amco loaders
for cleaning.
Supervision of the chairlift construction and equipping was part of my duties.
Control of labour and labour placement in different work categories.
Date: June1990 to December 1996
Company Name: RUC Mining Contractors
Title: Shift boss/General Foreman.
Project Name/Description: Karee Mine 3#– special projects.
Supervising sinking operations on a 3 shift cycle, labour control, drill and blast – using 8 boomer atlas copco
Jumbo drill rig.
Mucking of shaft was done with cactus grab unit. Concrete lining of shaft was done using 9meter lifts –curb
ring, barrel and filler plates.
Station development was done with hand held machines, drilling 2.4 meter rounds, multi blast conditions.
On completion of sinking operations – Equipping of shaft and stations commenced, installing bunton sets, guide
rails for cages, cables to each level, permanent services (air, water and ventilation pipes)
Supervising civil construction and equipping of loading boxes and conveyor belt system.
Date: April 1984 to March1990
Company Name: Rustenburg Platinum Mines
Title: Shift boss
Project Name/ Description: RPM Conventional mining.
Supervising stoping and development contracts and ensuring targets in production and safety were achieved.
Planning of monthly call, labour, materials and equipment to be used.
Methods used in mining was the herringbone system for stoping – using manual labour with muck cars for
loading in the stopes.Hand held machines were used for drill and blast operations.
Date: February 1980 to march 1984
Company Name: Kinross Gold Mines
Title: General Miner
Project Name/Description : Conventional Gold mining.
Daily duties comprised of drilling and blasting main development ends 3x3m and removal of gold reef in
remnant areas, removal of pillars and ledging of new stopes.
Date: January 1997 to January1980
Company Name: Bracken Gold Mines
Project Name/ Description. Student Miner – SA college of Mining
Learner miner going through all categories of mining and stoping methods. Learning for permanent blasting
license.
Date: July 1975 to January 1977
Company Name: Tsumeb Corporation.
Project Name/Description: Copper Smelter Plant
My duties were furnace operator and overhead crane operator, pouring copper moulds for export.
Feeding the furnaces with copper concentrate for smelting.
Date: June 1971 to July 1975
Company Name: South African Defence Force.
Project Name/ Description: Army and Navy
Military service as a soldier and then I joined the permanent force in the navy on the sub marines. I obtained
the rank of leading seaman.
General :
Languages: English – read, write, and speak – fluently
Chinese – Basic – still in progress to learn.
Russian – Basic
Hobbies/ Interests: Ocean life, scuba diving and fishing.
References: Mr George Cato+278******** – Site Manager (Grinaker-LTA)
Mr Andries Theunesin +278******** – Site Manager(RSV)
Mr François von Lansberg +277******** – Site Manager
Summary
I have supervised working teams in all aspects of mining and tunnel works - as production Shift boss/Foreman.
The normal working teams ranged from 6 to 36 in their different job allocations and a total crew of up to 150 members.
Area of responsibility in my section was usually from Surface to whichever levels were under my control….
Risk assessments, Safety meetings, Safety clothing(ppe) was part of my duties in doing, and checking personnel to wear the
appropriate safety equipment and to ensure all works were carried out in a safe manner, and according to mine regulations
and law.
Equipment /Material was also under my responsibility to ensure proper usage and the non-wastage and cost control of all
materials/equipment used on a daily basis.
Team building and team spirit was a major on-going performance, to ensure good relations and work production as far as
quality and safety aspects were concerned.
My Tunnel and Mining experience, working with many, many, different cultures and tribes …Puts me in line to perform the
work, to the best of my knowledge, and deliver to the client, the desired quality end product.