Continuous Mining Machine Operators

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

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

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

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

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