Continuous Mining Machine Operators

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Hang ventilation tubing and ventilation curtains to ensure that the mining face area is kept properly ventilated.
• Repair, oil, and adjust machines, and change cutting teeth, using wrenches.
• Install casings to prevent cave-ins.
• Check the stability of roof and rib support systems before mining face areas.
• Move controls to start and regulate movement of conveyors and to start and position drill cutters or torches.
• Determine locations, boundaries, and depths of holes or channels to be cut.
• Observe and listen to equipment operation to detect binding or stoppage of tools or other equipment malfunctions.
• Guide and assist crews laying track and resetting supports and blocking.
• Drive machines into position at working faces.
• Operate mining machines to gather coal and convey it to floors or shuttle cars.
• Move levers to raise and lower hydraulic safety bars supporting roofs above machines until other workers complete framing.
• Apply new technologies developed to minimize the environmental impact of coal mining.
• Scrape or wash conveyors, using belt scrapers or belt washers, to minimize dust production.
• Guide and assist crews laying track and resetting supports and blocking.
• Reposition machines to make additional holes or cuts.
• Conduct methane gas checks to ensure breathing quality of air.

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• 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.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• 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.
• 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.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Education

Education

No formal educational credential

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months 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

63380/yr

U.S. Hourly Wage

30.47/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

30

Yearly Projected Openings

0

Personality

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

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Initiative
• Independence
• Self Control
• Stress Tolerance

Tools

• Acoustic ear muffs or defenders
• Adjustable wrenches
• Air exhausters
• Belt conveyors
• Boom bolters
• Bulk material carriers
• Continuous mining equipment
• Goggles
• Grease fitting
• Grease guns
• Hard hats
• Jacks
• Locking pliers
• Open end wrenches
• Power drills
• Protective gloves
• Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories
• Screwdrivers
• Shovels
• Single gas monitors
• Sledge hammer
• Tape measures
• Track bulldozers

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Mobile location based services software
• Office suite software
• Presentation software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software