Risk & Business Magazine Miller Insurance Fall 2017 | Page 26

LOW EXPLOSIVE MARKET EXPLODING
Low Explosive Market Exploding
Rock Removal Solutions
K
evin Craven is in business to
blow things up—and to do so
safely, with minimal impact on
the environment. He started
out as a sales representative
covering North America for an Australian
company producing low-impact explosives.
When the company retreated back to
Australia to take advantage of its own
mining industry, Craven was offered an
option to purchase the company and
continue servicing its North American
clients. He now owns two growing
companies: Rock Removal Supplies, which
supplies consumable drill bits, excavating
equipment rentals, and consumables for
the solar industry; and Rock Removal
Solutions, which manufactures and sells
a rock-breaking technology called Rock
Removal Cartridge (RRC).
Craven chose www.lowexplosives.com as
his website name because that’s exactly
what RRC is—a revolutionary technique
for rock breaking, trenching, excavating,
and concrete demolition in sensitive
environments. RRC is especially useful in
locations that are close to homes, buildings,
bridges, railway beds, and sensitive
coastal areas. It also doesn’t damage any
underground infrastructure, such as
fiber-optic, sewer, or gas lines. The process
utilises tensile pressure to penetrate and
fracture rock, rather than the intense
shock energy of conventional explosives.
With a safer product comes a host of other
benefits. The use of RRC does not require
any special permits, and the cartridges
can be shipped in regular vehicles, with
no special licensure, certifications, or
signage. Whatever is not used on the job
can be carried back to storage bins in
regular company vehicles. And although
low-impact explosives cover the same
area as DDT explosives, they don’t require
any complicated surveys. Boulders can
be broken up in mere seconds. RRC
costs about ten to fifteen percent more
than conventional explosives, but these
advantages more than compensate.
Rock Removal Solutions is the only
business certified to train and certify
contractors to use the RRC product, so
Craven’s product liability policies must
be ironclad. He works closely with Miller
Insurance broker Steve Barber to ensure
that the company has proper coverage,
especially as the company continues to
expand. He now has seven employees, with
dealers in Ontario and throughout Canada,
the United States, and parts of South
America. Most recently, Craven showcased
his product in Nicaragua, a region where
workers are still using excavators and
hammers to break up boulders. This is a
costly and time-consuming process that
can be condensed into seconds with RRC.
The company works closely with explosive
regulatory bodies in each country in which
it does business.
Craven is more than happy to have Barber
review his insurance needs on a regular
basis and make sure that his policy
coverage changes along with his business.
He knows that his business carries some
major risks, but nowhere near as many as
conventional explosives. “We are growing
leaps and bounds right now, and I expect
that growth to continue,” he says. “Not
only are we able to do our part to save
the environment, but we can help lower
the supply of explosives that continue to
threaten our world.” +
Rock Removal Solutions is the only business certified
to train and certify contractors to use the RRC product,
so Craven’s product liability policies must be ironclad.
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