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Underground production and development miners

OaSIS code 83100.00

Underground production and development miners drill, blast, operate mining machinery, and perform related duties to extract coal and ore in underground mines and to construct tunnels, passageways and shafts to facilitate mining operations. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Overview

Also known as

  • Blaster - underground mining
  • Chute blaster - underground mining
  • Diamond driller - underground mining
  • Drift miner
  • Driller - underground mining
  • Hardrock miner apprentice
  • Hoist operator - underground mining
  • Miner
  • Mining machine operator
  • Powderman/woman - underground mining
  • Raise miner
  • Roadheader operator
  • Scooptram operator
  • Shaft inspector

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Set up and operate drills and drilling machines to produce a designated pattern of blasting holes
  • Operate diamond drills or other specialized drills such as raise boring machinery to test geological formations or to produce underground passageways
  • Set up and operate mining machinery to shear coal, rock or ore from the working face
  • Load explosives, set fuses, and detonate explosives to produce desired blasting patterns and rock fragmentation in underground mines
  • Operate scooptram, load-haul-dump (LHD) machine or mucking machine to load and haul ore from stopes, drifts and drawpoints to ore passes
  • Perform duties required to ensure safety and to support the mining advance, such as scaling loose rock from walls and roof, drilling and installing rock bolts, extending and installing air and water pipes, operating ore loading machinery, inspecting mine shafts, operating hoists that transport people, equipment and materials through mine shafts, and constructing timber supports and cribbing if required
  • Perform routine maintenance of mining machinery.

Additional information

  • Mobility is possible to other occupational groups in underground mining such as underground service and support occupations.
  • Mobility between these sectors is somewhat limited by differences in production technologies.
  • There is mobility between employers within each of the three following sectors: underground coal mining, underground hard rock mining and underground potash, salt or soft rock mining.
  • Progression to mining supervisor is possible with experience.

Similar occupations classified elsewhere

Exclusions:

  • Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction (73402)
  • Supervisors, mining and quarrying (82020)
  • Underground mine service and support workers (84100)
  • Mine labourers (85110)

NOC hierarchy breakdown

NOC version

NOC 2021 Version 1.0

Broad occupational category

8 – Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations

TEER

3 – Occupations usually require a college diploma or apprenticeship training of less than two years; or more than six months of on-the-job training

Major group

83 – Occupations in natural resources and related production

Sub-major group

831 – Occupations in natural resources and fisheries

Minor group

8310 – Underground miners, oil and gas drillers and related occupations

Unit group

83100 – Underground production and development miners

Occupational profile

83100.00 – Underground production and development miners

Work characteristics

Work characteristics gathers the various components describing the work environment of each occupation, such as employers, work activities, and the work context. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of complexity (for Work Activities) or other measurement dimensions (for Work Context), and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Work Activities

Proficiency or complexity level
Controlling Machines and Processes
5 - Highest Level
Handling and Moving Objects
5 - Highest Level
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
5 - Highest Level
Mechanical Maintenance
5 - Highest Level
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
5 - Highest Level

Work Context

Structural Job Characteristics

Structured versus Unstructured Work
Degree of freedom to determine tasks and priorities
3 - Moderate amount of freedom
Work Week Duration
Worked hours in a typical week
3 - More than 40 hours

Physical Work Environment

Physical Proximity
Physical distance from others
4 - Close (at arm’s length)

Physical Demands

Sitting
Duration
3 - About half the time
Standing
Duration
3 - About half the time
Bending or Twisting the Body
Duration
4 - More than half the time

Interpersonal Relations

Contact with Others
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day
Duration
4 - More than half the time
Work with Work Group or Team
Importance
3 - Important
Frequency
4 - Every day, a few times per day

Workplaces/employers

  • Coal, metal and non-metallic mineral underground mines
  • Specialized contractors in mine construction, shaft sinking and tunnelling

Skills and abilities

This section displays the various competencies required for an occupation. Each category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency (for Skills and Abilities) or importance (for Personal Attributes) and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Abilities

Proficiency or complexity level
Control of Settings
5 - Highest Level
Depth Perception
5 - Highest Level
Gross Body Equilibrium
5 - Highest Level
Multi-Signal Response
5 - Highest Level
Reaction Time
5 - Highest Level

Skills

Proficiency or complexity level
Equipment and Tool Selection
4 - High Level
Operation and Control
4 - High Level
Operation Monitoring of Machinery and Equipment
4 - High Level
Preventative Maintenance
3 - Moderate Level
Quality Control Testing
3 - Moderate Level

Personal Attributes

Importance
Adaptability
4 - Highly important
Attention to Detail
4 - Highly important
Collaboration
4 - Highly important
Concern for Others
4 - Highly important
Independence
4 - Highly important

Interests

The OaSIS uses the Holland Codes to describe the work-related interests. According to the Holland model, people work best in work environments that match their preferences, which means that people and work environments can be matched for a best fit. Occupational environments in Holland’s theory are described according to a combination of main interests and the activities they represent. There are six interests in the Holland typology: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. All occupations in OaSIS have up to three interests assigned to them.

Interests

Preferences for work environments and outcomes.

Interests profile: RI

Realistic (R)

Realistic occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail the explicit, ordered or systematic manipulation of objects, tools, machines and animals. Many of these occupations do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Investigative (I)

Investigative occupations are characterized by the dominance of activities that entail the observation and systematic or creative investigation of physical, biological, or cultural phenomena. These occupations require an extensive amount of thinking and frequently involve working with ideas, searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Employment requirements

Employment requirements includes the education, training, certifications and the knowledge required to work in each occupation. The Knowledge category displays up to 10 descriptors in descending order based, firstly, on their attributed ratings by the level of proficiency, and secondly, in alphabetical order. The whole list of Knowledge descriptors and their ratings can be expanded at the bottom of each page.

Education, certification and licensing

  • May be certified in the basic common core program or as an underground hard rock miner in Ontario.
  • Certificate in first aid may be required.
  • Formal training of up to six weeks followed by extended periods of specialized training as a helper or in support occupations is usually provided.
  • Company licensing or certification is often required for occupations in this unit group.
  • Previous experience as a mine labourer or in other mine occupations is usually required.
  • Provincial blasting licence may be required.
  • Trade certification for miners is available, but voluntary, in Quebec and Manitoba.
  • Completion of secondary school is usually required.

Knowledge

Knowledge level
Geological Resources
2 - Intermediate Level
Vehicle, Machinery and Equipment Operations
2 - Intermediate Level
Geoscience
1 - Basic Level
Languages
1 - Basic Level
Manufacturing, Processing and Production
1 - Basic Level

Skills for success

 
Skills for Success Model
 
Skills for Success are skills that help you in a quickly changing world. Everyone benefits from having these skills. They can help you to get a job, progress at your current job or even change jobs. The skills also help you become an active member of your community and succeed in learning.
 
 
Linkages Between ESDC Skills Models and Frameworks
 
ESDC makes available a dictionary of over 300 terms (or descriptors) and definitions, known as the Skills and Competencies Taxonomy (SCT). Descriptor information from the Taxonomy is used in the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS).
 
While there is general commonality of meaning between the descriptors in the SCT and the Skills for Success model, there are some differences in their definitions due to their distinct purposes. The Skills for Success Model [9 broadly defined skills] identifies the skills that are universally applicable. The SCT displays specific skills and competency requirements for 900 occupations. Users of the Skills for Success Model and Essential Skills content may find competency information from the Taxonomy and the OaSIS to be complementary.
 
Stay tuned to this section for more information and updates regarding linkages between the Skills for Success model and the OaSIS.

O*NET in-it

This page includes information from the O*NET 27.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Employment and Social Development Canada has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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