About This Career

Operates self-propelled mining machines that rip coal, metal and nonmetal ores, rock, stone, or sand from the mine face and load it onto conveyors, shuttle cars, or trucks in a continuous operation.

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster Construction pathway.

A person in this career:

• Hangs ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.
• Conducts methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air.
• Checks the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas.
• Operates mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars.
• Drives machines into position at working faces.
• Moves controls to start and regulate movement of conveyors and to start and position drill cutters or torches.
• Reposition machines to make additional holes or cuts.
• Determines locations, boundaries, and depths of holes or channels to be cut.
• Observes and listens to equipment operation to detect binding or stoppage of tools or other equipment malfunctions.
• Repairs, oils, and adjusts machines, and changes cutting teeth, using wrenches.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Requires getting into awkward positions
• Lighting is either extremely bright or inadequate
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Judging how far away an object is, or which of several objects is closer or farther away
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Overnight travel