MINING LANGUAGE

MINING LINGO

Mining language can be like a foreign language, so here are some of the meanings to give you a greater understanding.

ACRONYMS

Pos Comms – Positive radio communications
RPL – Recognition of prior learning (this can be used to reduce length/cost of course if you have been using the equipment/doing the task)
BCC – Black Coal competency (this is another name for mining qualifications)
RII’s – qualification that starts with the letters RII
VOC – Verification of Competency (generally used for a piece of equipment you have been authorised / signed off to use on site)
Swing – Length of days you are on site
Shift – Length of time working in one day
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
Toolbox talk – this is a pre-shift meeting to discuss issues / changes
SWI – Safe Working Instructions
SWP – Safe Working Practice
SSE – Senior Site Executive – this is the person in charge of the site
OCE – Open Cut Examiner – this is the person in charge of the site
ERT – Emergency Response Team
Auxiliary operations – All activities supportive of but not contributing directly to mining

MINING PAPERWORK

J.S.A. – Job Safety Analysis — Job breakdown that gives a safe, efficient job procedure.
J.S.E.A – Job Safety Environmental Analysis – Job breakdown that gives safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable job procedures
SWMS – Safe Work Method Statements – Document that outlines the hazards that may arise from a task and the measures to put in place to control the risks.
Take 5 – Document aimed at checking potential hazards prior to doing a task.
SLAM – Stop, Look, Assess, Manage – Document to be completed prior to commencing task.
SOP’s – Standard Operational Procedures – Document showing procedures for the site
MSDS –  Material Safety Data Sheet – Document for safe use/handling of equipment/chemicals

MINING PROCESSES / TOOLS

Auger – A rotary drill that uses a screw device to penetrate, break, and then transport the drilled material (coal).

Bench – One of two or more divisions of a coal seam separated by slate or formed by the process of cutting the coal.

Coke – A hard, dry carbon substance produced by heating coal to a very high temperature in the absence of air. Coke is used in the manufacture of iron and steel.

Core sample – A cylinder sample generally 1-5″ in diameter drilled out of an area to determine the geologic and chemical analysis of the overburden and coal.

Dragline – A large excavation machine used in surface mining to remove overburden (layers of rock and soil) covering a coal seam. The dragline casts a wire rope-hung bucket a considerable distance, collects the dug material by pulling the bucket toward itself on the ground with a second wire rope (or chain), elevates the bucket, and dumps the material on a spoil bank, in a hopper, or on a pile.

Overburden – Layers of soil and rock covering a coal seam. In surface mining operations, overburden is removed prior to mining using large equipment. When mining has been completed, it is either used to backfill the mined areas or is hauled to an external dumping and/or storage site.

Reclamation – The restoration of land and environmental values to a surface mine site after the coal is extracted. Reclamation operations are usually underway as soon as the coal has been removed from a mine site. The process includes restoring the land to its approximate original appearance by restoring topsoil and planting native grasses and ground covers.

Refine – to produce the pure state of a commodity from its ore

Rehabilitation – leaving the mine area in the condition in which you find it or the condition agreed with the local community

Reject – the coarse (pebbles) and fine (tailings) waste produced at processing plants

Reserve – resources of coal, ore or minerals which can be mined profitably under existing conditions.

Resource – a naturally occurring liquid, solid or gas in the earth’s crust that can be extracted for profit

Run of Mine (ROM) – ore that’s mined and ready to go to the processing plant

Seam – an underground layer of a mineral such as coal

Slag – The waste product of the process of smelting.

Surface mine – A mine in which the coal lies near the surface and can be extracted by removing the covering layers of rock and soil.

Thermal coal – A generic term used to describe coal which is used primarily to generate heat as opposed to metallurgical coal which is converted to coke for use in steel production. Sometimes referred to as steam coal.

Tailings – the material or waste left over after the valuable product/commodity has been extracted from ore.

Tailings dam – a dam used to store the waste byproducts or tailings produced during the process of extracting the valuable commodity/product from ore.

Tunnel Boring Machine – a machine that is used as an alternative to drilling and blasting. These machines can excavate tunnels with a circular cross section and can bore through anything from hard rock to sand.

Waste – rock that is mined but not processed.

Working face – Working face – the location where ore and waste is removed from solid rock

MINING ROLE NAMES

Multi Skilled Operator -This is a person who has experience operating a variety of machinery by mining courses and they are generally sought after in the mines but be aware, going out and gaining a multitude of tickets without any experience can actually have a negative effect in the industry. The entry level machinery roles are Dump Truck and Water Truck operators. Get these tickets and, once you are on site working, then slowly gain the remaining tickets.

Peggy / Utility / Nipper – These are all terms for a person doing “odd jobs” around site. You may be required to wash down machinery, clean the office premises, drive to the airport / camp to collect workers, drive a dump truck.

Trades Assistant / Offsider

Generally this role requires you to assist the tradesmen by:

• ensuring they have the required tools
• assisting them with the tasks required
• driving them around site.