How Mining in The Lao PDR saved me from being a pornstar

[Top Cat]

Top work BLD. Seems like there was at least one road accident per day? Was it as often as that?

[beerlaodrinker]

Yeah, it seemed like there was a fuck up of sorts every other day. i put it down to that part of Lao being a bit remote.

[beerlaodrinker]

More training going on

[beerlaodrinker]

Training

[Shy Guava]

quite possibly, a lot of expats had the choice of flying back to there point of hire or Taking $1200 instead and taking there R&R elsewhere in the region. a lot of guys onsite opted for chiang mai

Dunny (Kiwi - R.I.P.) or Lance (Aussie), those names ring any bells?

No mate, they could of been working for the other big mine Phu Bia

Dunny, as much as anyone, set up Longyear's operations at Sepon. This was in the exploration days before mining started and then in the early years of mining.

Lance, from Aztec, was over there on short term contracts doing geotech and hydrogeologic jobs. Last visit was probably about 10 years ago.

[AntRobertson]

Apologies if I've missed it, but just out of interest how long were you there and how long since you left?

[beerlaodrinker]

quite possibly, a lot of expats had the choice of flying back to there point of hire or Taking $1200 instead and taking there R&R elsewhere in the region. a lot of guys onsite opted for chiang mai

Dunny (Kiwi - R.I.P.) or Lance (Aussie), those names ring any bells?

No mate, they could of been working for the other big mine Phu Bia

Dunny, as much as anyone, set up Longyear's operations at Sepon. This was in the exploration days before mining started and then in the early years of mining.

Lance, from Aztec, was over there on short term contracts doing geotech and hydrogeologic jobs. Last visit was probably about 10 years ago.

No, never met dunny, i met Lance (Bird ?)last year he was doing a small job for psi out the back of Vientiane , when i arrived at sepon about 2006. dave ilston and phil mc carthy was in charge of sepon ops then ken reid .starkey was in the Vientiane office (still is ) Things are pretty lean for BLY at the moment. Good outfit BLY enjoy working with them

[beerlaodrinker]

Apologies if I've missed it, but just out of interest how long were you there and how long since you left?

Came on a 6 month contract and stayed 9 years, Got made Redundant a bit over 2 years ago.
livin the dream

[AntRobertson]

Oops, defo missed Guava's post!

[beerlaodrinker]

The environmental department at work

water quality Testing




Bamboo mats made by villagers used for erosian control






Illegal logging is rampant but theres not much the enviros can do about it




Enviros planting for rehab

spreading mulch




Site gererates a shitload of plastic water bottles





Imamazed this turtle didnt end up in the pot





Glad they didnt eat that turtle


Confiscated logs outside Vilabouly police station.



Enviro dept invested in one of these





And of it goes to get recycled instead of ending up in the river

[johpam]

A cracking thread. I love it.

[AntRobertson]

Cracking thread indeed. Shoo-in for TDTOTY despite the glaring lack of pornstars.

[beerlaodrinker]

Boart Longyear have got the schramm and booster Mobilised



Trucks struggling to get the booster up the haulroad

Needed 2 dozers to help it




20 Tonne of rig bogged past the tracks


Grade control sampling in the pit


The samples get sent to the lab for results so mining engineers can plot the dig pattern






The drillers use the rubber Tracked Marooka as support rod carriers



This one lost its steering going down a hill

[PeeCoffee]

BLD, was your position related to Safety, Accident Prevention and Training ?

Again - terrific thread.

[beerlaodrinker]

Training/Mentoring mostly, They had an army of safety officers Expat and Lao, they had a big job with so many unskilled people on site, the contractors received almost no instruction or training from there companys, But this did start to improve. Mostly because we started holding them accountable and tying payments to safety instead of production



Contractors were just trying to make a buck.


Speeding slowed down when they knew they were getting reported to there boss with subsequent pay loss dismissal etc , They only got these the last few years i was there







The guards loved them to


Not sure why they dress the senior guards up to look like thai cops



Shonky gear on a contractors crane





Hadnt been inspected in years





Eventually the company set up another department called Contractor Development to make sure they werent bringing half ass equipment and half ass operators on site.

[beerlaodrinker]

Never ending






This one killed the Lao bloke pumping up the tyre outside a cage when the split rim hit him in the head

[Looper]

Some stonking prangs in that lot BLD - champion!

This one looks like Hannibal Lecter's girlfriend...



Top stuff and thread of the year - no competition

[reddog]

^
Looper,i heard that Shrewed Punter asked her out but she said she was all tied up at the moment.

[beerlaodrinker]

Blasthole drilling in the Limestone pit, The copper plant uses a lot of Lime having a limestone deposit near the plant was a bonus







The Explosive comes in Sausages and is supplied by the Lao Military











Crushed and powdered limestone

[beerlaodrinker]

MMG decided to go owner operator and do there own earthworks must of been a big investment but things were still booming then

Some new dozers


new truck fleet


out with the old

in with the new


The decision to go owner operator didnt put many of the Lotus hall drivers out of work they simply transferred over to MMG


START OF SHIFT MEETING FOR THE TRUCK DRIVERS

[beerlaodrinker]

In an attempt to ward of the accidents the Monks were called in to give the new trucks a blessing







Job done

[Chittychangchang]

You're giving us a rare insight into a different and interesting world.
Good stuff mate.

[beerlaodrinker]

Oh dear



Give them all a Bollocking

[beerlaodrinker]

You're giving us a rare insight into a different and interesting world.
Good stuff mate.

quite surreal somedays

[beerlaodrinker]

The girls getting a bit of exercise after work



These 2 are sisters