In November, Inzwa attended the 21st Pennsylvania Drilling and Blasting Conference in State College, PA. The conference drew more than 400 attendees from across the blasting industry: vibration monitoring, explosives distributors, blasting accessory providers, drill manufacturers, service providers, and more. At our booth, we had many great conversations with attendees about our VEVA III device and Inzwa Cloud platform.
Several presentations examined vibration monitoring requirements in challenging conditions. Frank Lucca, who has decades of experience in the explosives industry, specializes in close-in drilling and blasting operations. He covered blasting in New York City’s five boroughs and the operational challenges of working in dense urban environments.
Attorney Ralph Burnham, who is ISEE certified and has more than 25 years of experience in the explosives industry, presented on the legal side of blasting complaints. He spoke about blasting in residential areas and the importance of monitoring equipment for providing evidence that operations stayed within relevant limits and thresholds.
Elijah Williams, lead solutions engineer at Strayos, presented on using digital tools to mitigate and remediate misfire situations in surface mining and quarrying environments. His session covered the use of 3D scanning and modeling software in mines and quarries, as well as how seismograph data combined with predictive analysis tools can identify potential failures and to help prevent future accidents and misfires.
The Seismograph Operator’s Certificate Program at the conference was led by Dr. Catherine Aimone-Martin and Doug Rudenko. With more than 45 years of experience in blast monitoring and technology, Dr. Aimone-Martin is Emeritus Professor of Mineral Engineering at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and President of Aimone-Martin Associates. Rudenko has 39 years of experience in engineering seismology and serves as Senior Vice President at Vibra-Tech Engineers, Inc.
The program included presentations, a Q&A session, and an examination covering core topics. The VEVA III was displayed during the certificate program alongside select seismographs from other manufacturers.
The presentations we attended reinforced why monitoring is so critical for blasting operations near occupied structures. To avoid disruptions and comply with noise ordinances, urban projects can only blast during specific days and times. Charge size limits exist to keep ground vibration below levels that could damage nearby structures.
These operational limits mean projects in urban or residential areas need monitoring equipment that provides real-time compliance data. If and when complaints arise, monitoring data provides the evidence needed to demonstrate that operations stayed within timing, vibration, and any other applicable thresholds. The combination of operational restrictions and legal documentation requirements explains why projects increasingly need equipment that provides real-time data access and compliance-ready reporting. The conference’s focus on these challenges reflected the practical realities facing blasters who work near occupied structures.
Summer is when most monitoring firms hit peak project volume. Projects that were delayed earlier in the year come online, new contracts start, and firms that monitor multiple sites need enough equipment, battery capacity, and operational infrastructure to keep up. Peak Season Deployment Challenges When project volume peaks, monitoring firms
Monitoring firms operating on government contracts typically follow a July 1 or October 1 fiscal year. At the start of a new fiscal year, firms make decisions about equipment purchases, calibration services, and budget allocation that determine their operational capacity for the year ahead. How Fiscal Year Budgets Affect Equipment
New York City construction projects will face new compliance requirements starting April 21, 2026. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) will require continuous sound monitoring at certain large construction sites performing after-hours work. In practice, this will shift noise enforcement from complaint-driven inspections to continuous data collection.
