Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Move trailing electrical cables clear of obstructions, using rubber safety gloves.
• Operate levers to move conveyor booms or shovels so that mine contents such as coal, rock, and ore can be placed into cars or onto conveyors.
• Clean, fuel, service, and perform safety checks on all equipment, and repair and replace parts as necessary.
• Clean hoppers, and clean spillage from tracks, walks, driveways, and conveyor decking.
• Measure, weigh, or verify levels of rock, gravel, or other excavated material to prevent equipment overloads.
• Measure, weigh, or verify levels of rock, gravel, or other excavated material to prevent equipment overloads.
• Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables.
• Drive loaded shuttle cars to ramps and move controls to discharge loads into mine cars or onto conveyors.
• Monitor loading processes to ensure that materials are loaded according to specifications.
• Pry off loose material from roofs and move it into the paths of machines, using crowbars.
• Observe and record car numbers, carriers, customers, tonnages, and grades and conditions of material.
• Pry off loose material from roofs and move it into the paths of machines, using crowbars.
• Guide and stop cars by switching, applying brakes, or placing scotches, or wooden wedges, between wheels and rails.
• Direct other workers to move stakes, place blocks, position anchors or cables, or move materials.
• Examine roadway and clear obstructions from the path of travel.
• Clean, fuel, service, and perform safety checks on all equipment, and repair and replace parts as necessary.
• Advance machines to gather material and convey it into cars.
• Drive machines into piles of material blasted from working faces.
• Signal workers to move loaded cars.
• Oil, lubricate, and adjust conveyors, crushers, and other equipment, using hand tools and lubricating equipment.
• Maintain records of materials moved.
• Read written instructions or confer with supervisors about schedules and materials to be moved.
• Stop gathering arms when cars are full.
• Observe hand signals, grade stakes, or other markings when operating machines.
• Measure, weigh, or verify levels of rock, gravel, or other excavated material to prevent equipment overloads.
• Control conveyors that run the entire length of shuttle cars to distribute loads as loading progresses.
• Move mine cars into position for loading and unloading, using pinchbars inserted under car wheels to position cars under loading spouts.
• Push or ride cars down slopes, or hook cars to cables and control cable drum brakes, to ease cars down inclines.
• Read written instructions or confer with supervisors about schedules and materials to be moved.
• Handle high voltage sources and hang electrical cables.
• Clean, fuel, service, and perform safety checks on all equipment, and repair and replace parts as necessary.
• Replace hydraulic hoses, headlight bulbs, and gathering-arm teeth.

Skills

• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

Abilities

• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

Knowledge

• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

Education

Education

No formal educational credential

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

Less than 1 month on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

U.S. Annual Salary

68860/yr

U.S. Hourly Wage

33.11/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

4,100

Yearly Projected Openings

400

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Dependability
• Attention to Detail
• Self Control
• Concern for Others
• Independence
• Initiative

Tools

• Belt conveyors
• Bulk material carriers
• Claw hammer
• Cleaning scrapers
• Ear plugs
• Earthmoving shovels
• Electric actuators
• Filtering machinery
• Fire extinguishers
• Front end loaders
• Grease guns
• Hydraulic breaker chisel
• Locking pliers
• Mining headlamp
• Oil gun
• Protective gloves
• Pry bars
• Ratchets
• Respirators
• Safety boots
• Safety glasses
• Safety vests
• Screwdrivers
• Sledge hammer
• Socket sets
• Track bulldozers
• Track excavators
• Two way radios
• Utility knives
• Valve actuators
• Wrecking or crow bar

Technology

• Electronic mail software
• Facilities management software
• Industrial control software
• Inventory management software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Time accounting software