Miner
Miners operate equipment to excavate, load and transport coal, ore, mineral sand and rock, either underground or in open-cut mines.
Miners may perform the following tasks:
- cut drives into the ore body using specialist equipment
- extract coal or ore by drilling, blasting or excavating
- load ore into mine cars, trucks or conveyors for transport to stockpile or mine surface
- undertake development work such as opening up new shafts, drives, air vents, rises and crib rooms
- support the walls and roofs in underground mines with rock bolts and erect wooden or steel props, pillars and arches
- install lighting, pumps, cabling and other equipment to service the mine
- monitor the operation of plants and ensure the safety of other workers on mining sites and during drilling operations
- operate auxiliary plants such as pumps to expel air, water and mud.
Specialisations:
Other career progressions for miners include registered mine manager, undermanager, mine deputy and open-cut examiner.
Mine Shift Supervisor
A mine shift supervisor regularly inspects mine sites (both above and below ground) and roadways to check that conditions are safe and ensure compliance with safety regulations and emergency procedures. They also supervise shotfiring and conduct tests to detect gas or insufficient ventilation.
Open Cut Miner
An open cut miner uses mobile plant machinery (such as bucketwheel excavators, draglines, mining shovels, bulldozers, graders and front-end loaders) to extract ore from the mine.
Underground Miner
An underground miner travels down vertical shafts or sloping declines to reach the work face. Duties may include rockbolting the walls and roofs of mines, building timber or steel props, pillars or arches to support the rock and back-filling mineral voids.
Mines are often located in remote areas where miners and plant operators may have to work in dusty, hot and noisy conditions. Many workers are employed at mine sites on a fly-in, fly-out basis, usually flying from a base location to the mine site, where they work for a number of weeks and then return to the base location. Although they work as part of a team, miners generally work without direct supervision.
Personal Requirements:
- enjoy practical and manual activities
- aptitude for mechanical equipment operation
- able to tolerate physically demanding work, including shiftwork
- willing to work in accordance with occupational health and safety rules
- age limits may apply.
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