Operations

Mining skills and trades

The practice of exploration and mining covers a wide range of trades and skills:

• driving vehicles
• construction
• operating excavation
• earthworks
• tunneling
• mining machinery and equipment
• operating drilling rigs
• handling explosives and hazardous chemicals
• plumbing and electrical
• operating process equipment and machinery
• laboratory work
• operating remote-controlled machinery and equipment
• computer skills
• associated repair and maintenance work
• office administration

A related area is supervision and management of the mine site, the mining operation, and of mine workers.

Engineering

The design of a mining operation includes earthworks, tunneling and roading; and the systems for blasting and excavating overburden and ore, transporting it, and processing it, via crushing and grinding, and, potentially, chemical processing. 
Engineering is the term applied to these areas, with an emphasis on the mine being workable, cost-effective, safe, and environmentally responsible. 
Areas of expertise include ventilation, electrical, explosives, mechanical. A related field is geo-technical engineering, which focuses on the strength of rock materials, slopes, tunnels, and other structures.