Program Description

The Canadian Diamond Drilling Association has launched DEC – Drilling Excellence Certification to establish a new, higher standard of quality in the diamond drilling industry. DEC will support drill contractors in improving health and safety, environmental and quality performance.

The CDDA has supported mining companies, drilling contractors, manufacturers and suppliers since the 1940’s; Drilling Excellence Certification continues that tradition by bringing drilling contractors in synch with the rest of the minerals industry, where standards are becoming the norm.

Scope and Application

Compliance to the DEC Standard enables a Contractor to be recognized as a CDDA certified Contractor and to promote the certified status of its management system.

Certification to the DEC Standard does not imply compliance with statutory, regulatory and other applicable requirements. It means that the Contractor has processes in place to identify statutory, regulatory and other applicable requirements and has implemented tools and/or processes to manage compliance to these requirements. More information available to CDDA Members.

Certification

Certification is granted by the CDDA Certification Body once a Contractor has successfully passed a qualified third party audit. Certification is valid for one year and shall be renewed annually through a re-certification audit. The complete certification process is described in U002 DEC Regulations.

The DEC Application Package is accessible to all CDDA members through the member’s section of the CDDA website and includes U001 DEC Standard .U002 DEC Regulations , and U003 DEC Fee Structure. Contact CDDA office for more information.

DEC Auditor

Bert Hettrich studied Production Technologies in Germany, finished his engineering degree in 1987, worked as an engineer and later as General Manager in steel and aluminum construction and equipment manufacturing companies. As preparation for moving to Canada, he became an Auditor in 1996 and started in 1997 as an Auditor here in Canada. Bert is a certified 3rd Party Lead Auditor for Safety, Environmental and Quality Management Systems. Bert audits 50 to 60 companies annually as a 3rd party auditor for various standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, ISO 45001, WOODMARK QS, CDDA DEC.

Bert also supports construction and mining related clients in their supplier auditing processes for selection of new suppliers. Bert provides regular training workshops for a variety of topics related to management systems standards. Since 2010, Bert was involved in developing the CDDA DEC Standards. He currently audits the CDDA Contractors going through DEC U001 Certification.

Bert is co-owner of International Certification Ltd., a License Partner of International Certification Management GmbH, which is one of the Canadian Standards Association’s Group Companies. International Certification Ltd. provides auditing services against criteria of a variety of standards and is part of a network of auditing organizations worldwide. The majority of the audits are 3rd party certification audits and they all fulfill requirements for organizations providing management system certifications such as ISO 17021.

Certification Requirements

1. Policy Statement
2. Roles, Functions, Accountabilities and Responsibilities
3. Management System Manual
4. Training
5. Document Control
6. Record Control
7. Identification of Legal Requirements and Evaluation of Compliance
8. Identification of Risks and Risk Management
9. Identification of Specific Client Contractual Obligations
10. Continuous Improvement
11. Equipment Maintenance
12. Emergency Preparedness and Response
13. Incidents
14. CDDA Statistic Reporting
15. Internal Review
16. Management Evaluation

DEC Certified Companies

Led by the drilling contractors, the other stakeholders in the diamond drilling industry are committing to the importance of the standards associated with DEC. Mining and exploration clients, industry suppliers, associations and governments at all levels welcome the CDDA’s leadership, agreeing that standards make sense.

Team Drilling (Certified)
Bryson Drilling Ltd. (Certified)
Aggressive Drilling Ltd. (Certified)
Cyr Drilling International Ltd. (Certified)
Hy-Tech Drilling Ltd. (Certified)
Chibougamau Diamond Drilling Ltd. (Certified)

“PDAC’s members are committed to safe work sites. I strongly endorse this initiative for certification because it will help keep crews safe and reduce risk.”

Bill Mercer, Avalon Rare Metals

“Equity Exploration manages exploration programs for its clients. They need to know that we hire safe, professional drill contractors, and the CDDA’s standards are an important step towards assuring that.”

Henry Awmack, Equity Exploration Consultants Inc.