Letter from The Chief

• Posted on Oct 18, 2022

Dear Eastern PA ISEE Newsletter readers,

We live in an age where instant communication is easier than at any other time in history. At any time, we can pick up an assortment of devices to make a call, send a message, or communicate an important idea to a team of individuals all working toward a common goal. Historically however, DEP has not communicated clearly and consistently with the dedicated professionals in the blasting and explosives industry.

I have thought for a long time that we would benefit from having short (2-4 pages) routine newsletters that would communicate new ideas, regulatory changes, safety notes, policy changes, and more, both to our explosives program field staff and our industry clients, with the hope of creating and maintaining a higher level of consistency and cooperative interaction. My vision for this is to use it as a sort of message board that informs on important changes and issues, and as resource that will sharpen our skills and perspectives with regard to the job we each do on both sides of the industry, from the day-to-day mundane tasks to technique to incident handling.

Initially, I am hoping that this will be a monthly circular beginning around the middle of this month (October). Each issue will actually be a set of two newsletters: one written for staff consumption, and a parallel issue for our industry clients. The hope is that by doing so we are communicating similar sets of information both internally and externally but keeping in mind that the audience is different, creating consistency in the way in which we regulate and relate to the explosives industry. It is my hope that this will ultimately foster a spirit of openness and cooperation between the industry and our staff. If you are a licensed blaster with your email address in our records you should already be on the list to receive the initial newsletter. There will be a link to opt out if you so choose. If you do not receive the newsletter by the end of the month but you wish to, please go to https://forms.office.com/g/B68GijdX9M to sign up.

This project is a work in progress, and I am sure it will continue to evolve as necessary, so please feel free to let me know what you think and how it can be made better.

Work safe!

Christopher D. Catalano