Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers - 17-2151.00

Conduct sub-surface surveys to identify the characteristics of potential land or mining development sites. May specify the ground support systems, processes and equipment for safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction or underground construction activities. May inspect areas for unsafe geological conditions, equipment, and working conditions. May design, implement, and coordinate mine safety programs.

Sample of reported job titles: Mine Engineer, Mine Engineering Manager, Mine Safety Manager, Mining Consultant, Mining Engineer, Planning Engineer, Project Engineer, Safety Coordinator, Safety Engineer, Safety Representative

Tasks

• Prepare technical reports for use by mining, engineering, and management personnel.
• Inspect mining areas for unsafe structures, equipment, and working conditions.
• Select or develop mineral location, extraction, and production methods, based on factors such as safety, cost, and deposit characteristics.
• Select locations and plan underground or surface mining operations, specifying processes, labor usage, and equipment that will result in safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction of minerals and ores.
• Prepare schedules, reports, and estimates of the costs involved in developing and operating mines.
• Monitor mine production rates to assess operational effectiveness.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate technicians, technologists, survey personnel, engineers, scientists or other mine personnel.
• Examine maps, deposits, drilling locations, or mines to determine the location, size, accessibility, contents, value, and potential profitability of mineral, oil, and gas deposits.
• Design, implement, and monitor the development of mines, facilities, systems, or equipment.
• Test air to detect toxic gases and recommend measures to remove them, such as installation of ventilation shafts.
• Implement and coordinate mine safety programs, including the design and maintenance of protective and rescue equipment and safety devices.
• Devise solutions to problems of land reclamation and water and air pollution, such as methods of storing excavated soil and returning exhausted mine sites to natural states.
• Lay out, direct, and supervise mine construction operations, such as the construction of shafts and tunnels.
• Design, develop, and implement computer applications for use in mining operations such as mine design, modeling, or mapping or for monitoring mine conditions.
• Select or devise materials-handling methods and equipment to transport ore, waste materials, and mineral products efficiently and economically.
• Evaluate data to develop new mining products, equipment, or processes.

Technology Skills

• Analytical or scientific software - GEO-SLOPE GeoStudio; Maptek Vulcan; Schlumberger PIPESIM; Ventsim (see all 15 examples)
• Computer aided design CAD software - Autodesk AutoCAD ; Carlson SurvCADD; Promine
• Data base user interface and query software - GijimaAst Mining Solutions International Mine2-4D; Microsoft Access ; Mincom MineScape; Minemax iGantt
• Financial analysis software - RungePincockMinarco XERAS
• Map creation software - Site mapping software
• Office suite software - Microsoft Office
• Presentation software - Microsoft PowerPoint
• Project management software - Microsoft Project ; Oracle Primavera Systems
• Spreadsheet software - Microsoft Excel
• Word processing software - Microsoft Word

Tools Used

• Clinometers
• Desktop computers
• Gas detectors - Combustible gas detectors
• Geological compasses - Directional compasses; Stratum compasses
• Global positioning system GPS receiver - Global positioning system GPS receivers
• Hammers - Geological hammers
• High capacity removable media drives - Universal serial bus USB flash drives
• Notebook computers - Laptop computers
• Personal computers
• Plotter printers - Color plotting printers; Digital plotters
• Pocket calculator - Handheld calculators
• Scanners - Computer scanners
• Tape measures - Measuring tapes

Knowledge

• 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.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• 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.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• 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.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills

• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
• Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
• Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
• Management of Material Resources - Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
• Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Abilities

• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
• Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
• Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• Speed of Closure - The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.

Interests

• Interest code: IRE
  • Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
  • Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
  • Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Work Context

• Electronic Mail - 93% responded “Every day.”
• Duration of Typical Work Week - 93% responded “More than 40 hours.”
• Face-to-Face Discussions - 79% responded “Every day.”
• Telephone - 44% responded “Every day.”
• Work With Work Group or Team - 44% responded “Extremely important.”
• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - 61% responded “Every day.”
• Freedom to Make Decisions - 44% responded “A lot of freedom.”
• Structured versus Unstructured Work - 45% responded “A lot of freedom.”
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - 53% responded “Very important.”
• Letters and Memos - 39% responded “Every day.”
• Contact With Others - 36% responded “Constant contact with others.”
• Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - 46% responded “Important results.”
• Spend Time Sitting - 48% responded “More than half the time.”
• Coordinate or Lead Others - 55% responded “Very important.”
• Frequency of Decision Making - 35% responded “Every day.”
• Time Pressure - 39% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - 39% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - 49% responded “Very important.”
• Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - 38% responded “Moderate responsibility.”
• Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - 30% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• In an Enclosed Vehicle or Equipment - 35% responded “Once a year or more but not every month.”
• Exposed to Contaminants - 28% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
• Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled - 38% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Responsible for Others' Health and Safety - 41% responded “Moderate responsibility.”
• Level of Competition - 46% responded “Moderately competitive.”
• Exposed to Hazardous Equipment - 34% responded “Once a year or more but not every month.”

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
79%	Bachelor's degree
17%	Post-baccalaureate certificate
3%	Master's degree

Work Styles

• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

Work Values

• Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Wages & Trends

• Median wages (2017)
  • $45.31 hourly, $94,240 annual
• Employment (2016)
  • 7,000 employees
• Projected growth (2016-2026)
  • Average (5% to 9%)
• Projected job openings (2016-2026)
  • 600