Job Description
Mining: Working on a busy mine site using lots of different equipment such as bulldozers, graders, water carts, trucks.
Mobile Plant Operator:
Mobile plant operators drive backhoes, bulldozers, excavators, front-end loaders, graders, rockbreakers, scrapers, skid steer loaders, rollers and forklift trucks to level, excavate, move and load earth, rock and other material
Work Conditions
Work conditions for both of these occupations are hot, sweaty, dirty, noisy, and dusty. This is because it could be in a red dirt environment due to where the mine site is.
Personal Requirements
Personal Requirements for Mining:
- Can enjoy practical and manual activities.
- Are able to tolerate physically demanding work.
- Age limits may apply.
- Working with occupational health and safety
Personal Requirements for Mobile Plant Operator:
- Can enjoy practical and manual work.
- Can follow strict instructions from your supervisor.
- Can work as a team and can be a team member.
- Has to be physically fit.
- Must have good eyesight.
- Must have good hand eye co-ordination.
- Are able to work without supervision.
Skills Required
Mining Skills:
There is no specific education required for the entry of mining. Practical skills are more important than the education level.
Mobile Plant Operator Skills:
No specific skills for mobile plant operator, education is not important in the job, its more about the practical skills that are learnt.
Certificate I or II is available for some jobs in the mobile plant operator industry.
Training/Qualifications Required
Mining Qualifications:
The qualifications depends on what you want to do in the mining industry. There is training for Certificate I and II for some of the jobs.
Mobile Plant OperatorQualifications:
For a mobile plant operator, no specific qualifications are needed for the job. There is apprenticeships or traineeships available to get you into the workforce of a mobile plant operator. You also need a licence to perform high risk work.
Career Paths
Mining & Mobile Plant Operator:
Career paths for Mining and Mobile Plant operator are about the same. For these careers you need to be 18 years of age and hold acurrent W.A ‘C’ class license. With a C class license you can operate a dump truck, a water cart and a light vehicle 4WD.
You need to be fit and healthy for these job careers, the company you will be working for will send you to the doctors to assess you for Mine Workers Health Surveillance which they pay for. They will also put you through some basic exercise routines to see if you have any restrictions in your normal body movement and if you pass all of that you are well on your way.
If you have a Heavy Rigid (HR) license you can operate a large number of machines on site.
Next you will need to do the site specific inductions and site procedures. Some companies do these in Perth and some companies do this on site. With most sites there days everybody must comply with the drug and alcohol policy. Most sites have a zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol whilst working on site. While in Perth the HR department (Human Resources) will organise your uniforms (these are usually picked up on site), your flights to and from site and your accommodation and they will give you a contact name for the site you are going to. After you have been showed around by the company representative where your accommodation they will take you to site. You will be required to complete any further inductions and procedures and drug and alcohol testing prior to going for a pit tour of the site.
There are mainly 6 departments on site, there are Administration, Drill and Blast, Production, (OHP) Ore Handling & Processing, Mobile Workshop and Survey. BHP has numerous departments such as mine scheduler, geology, mine planning etc.
To progress through a department such as Production you would be trained on a variety of machines which you will be required to pass a theory assessment and practical assessment, you will be given training aids for your theory and you will be taught how to operate the different machines in a safe and productive manner. Some people pick up the skills required quicker than other and some take a little longer.
Below is the order of machines that you will start off with to the position of mine Manager starting with Trainee Dump Truck Operator.
1) Trainee Dump Truck Operator
At first you would normally spend 5 days observing in the dump truck before you begin to operate. Then you would spend about 150 hours operating with a truck trainer observing you and then when they think that you have what it takes to operate safely and productively the training department will assess you. 3 months later they will assess you again and if you pass this one you will achieve your verification of competency. You would normally have to operate the dump truck for another 9 months before you progress onto the Water-cart and the process starts over again. From there you would move onto the Roller and Grader, then Track Dozer, Wheel Dozer, Wheel Loader, Rockbreaker and Excavator. After these positions you can progress through to Leading Hand to Shift Supervisor and then Mine Superintendant which will require to to complete and pass the relevant statuatory courses such as Section 44 of the Mines Regulations Act and Section 45. From there you progress through to Quarry Manager and then Mine Manager which will require you to go to university and pass the relevant courses. Once again if you have previous mine experience your time in university would be a lot less than someone who had no previous mine experience.
If you wanted to work for Drill and Blast they have 2 sections. Drillers and Bomb Crew.
If you wanted to be a driller you would start off as a sampler and then progress to trainee driller and then driller. If you choose the bomb crew you would normally operate the drill support truck, and you would have to do a 5 day shot firers course before you handle any explosives this course is paid for by the company.
Where Is The Work?
Mining & Mobile Plant Operator:
Working in the mining industry, it can take you all over the world as there is heaps of mine sites, camps, jobs etc.
More Info
To find more information on mining, click on the links below:
My Future: Mining Occupation Details
To find more information on Mobile Plant Operator, click the links below:
My Future: Mobile Plant Operator Occupation Details
MINING VIDEO & MOBILE PLANT VIDEO
The link below is a video about mining. Click to find out more.
The link below is a video about mobile plant operators. Click below to find out more.
