Robbie Clemons, Mine Service Worker

Good work and pay

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"It's a good place to work and you get lots of days off in-between.

"The money was the main thing. I got sick of my last job. It was too much work for such little pay. So I wanted it balanced out where I can work where I get paid properly.

"Living in Thompson, Vale Inco is the place to work."

Workplace images

Where I work

Vale Inco is located outside the city limits of Thompson. They have a big reputation in the mining industry, because they are among the top two nickel producers in the world.

Note: Vale Inco in Thompson has two underground mines -- Thompson Mine (with two shafts) and Birchtree Mine - as well as Thompson Open Pit. It also has a mill, a smelter, and a refinery that produces more than 125 million pounds of 99.9% pure electrolytic nickel annually.

Mine service worker

My job classification is a mine service worker but when I went to qualify for this job it, it was called a sandfill man. It's an entry level job within the mines. My job is directing sand underground to where they extract the ore to fill in the open spaces.

Basically, I help make sure the sand gets from the surface to where it has to go underground.

Watching for leaks

The sand flows several miles through six-inch flange pipes and four-inch Victaulic* pipes. There are several sections of pipes, each one being two hundred feet long. The sand is gravity fed with water added to help it flow better.

One person's job for the day is to watch one section of pipe and make sure there are no leaks in it.

We have to detect leaks as fast as we can, so the sand gets to where it's supposed to go.

*Note: Victaulic pipes are a brand of pipe with grooves to accommodate fittings at the ends.

Finding the problem

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"We phone our sand plant operator if there's a leak to let him know to stop sending sand and to send water. The reason we send water before and after is to make sure there are no leaks, because water will spray out before sand does. Then he stops the flow of sand, and we go there and fix it.

"It's usually the joint of the pipe, 90 percent of the time. There's a weak point mostly on bends because there's more friction."

Fixing the leak

When we're fixing a leak, they send us a pipe from the surface to underground. We pick it up and get all the tools and equipment we need.

Our main tools are ratchets for bolts. We may have to use a Scooptram (load-haul-dump vehicle) or a scissorlift deck to raise us to the height of the pipe, which is usually attached to the ‘ceilings' of the drifts or tunnels. We take the old pipe out and put the new one in.

It's pretty routine after a while.

Early dreams of Winnipeg

I grew up in Thompson, so I've always known about Inco but never thought I'd work here when I was younger.

I wanted to live and work in Winnipeg. I don't know where but I just saw myself there back then.

It's a lot different for me now.

Peers had effect

I wasn't a troubled kid but my peers had a lot of effect on my life. I haven't always chosen the paths where my parents wanted me to go.

Growing up, I made a lot of wrong decisions, a lot of things my parents didn't want me to do. Most of the barriers I've had were because of things that I've done.

That's why I like what I'm doing now.

Mining family

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"My father was always a miner probably for as long as I've been living, so I learnt a little bit about it here and there growing up. And my mother worked at the hospital for some years, in the clinic."

"My close relatives live here or around here. I have a lot of relatives in the mining industry, so it's something that we're fond of talking about. It's a good thing to talk about when you're with other people that know about it, that you're close to."

Life outside of work

When I leave here and walk out the doors I leave my work life at work, and I do the same thing at home. I don't bring my home life to work, so it's very well balanced.

I've always been into hunting, fishing, skidooing, and boating, so I like to buy recreation equipment, fishing rods, that type of thing. I like having the best equipment. A lot of my money also goes to my son, who is five years old.

Pros and cons of the North

I like that it's very beautiful up here and that there are a lot of different cultures. I like meeting people from different cultures. It's also very easy to find a very good job here.

I don't like that northern Manitoba is so far away from a lot of the bigger cities. I have a lot of friends down south that I have to travel far to see, so that's a hassle.

Days on and off

I work an 11 and a half hour day shift. There are some jobs in the mine that require both day and night shifts but this job is straight day shift.

We work five days on, then four days off, then five days on, then five days off, then four days on, then five off. It's a pretty good schedule. They give us calendars to keep track of it, but after awhile you don't need the calendar, because everyone's looking forward to their five or four days off.

Break when we can

Because we are watching pipes, a lot of our day involves travelling from level to level, so we take breaks whenever needed. We're required to check our lines every half hour, so we work for a half hour then break for a half hour.

It's like that all day. For lunch break, we eat in-between whenever we can.

Maintenance days

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"There are days where we can't pour sand. Our mill might be troubleshooting some things or they might be doing preventative maintenance on certain machinery. So we have to go switch pipes that may have been leaking before or just go check pipes - our own type of preventative maintenance duties."

Staying calm

The pace is usually steady. There is the odd time where we will have to bust a sweat to make sure we get the job done, like when we're fixing leaks.

I don't get stressed though, because safety is our main thing here. You don't want to be freaking out at any point because you just make it hard on yourself, and then there is a chance of you or other people getting hurt. At those times, I just have to stand back and think about what I'm going to do next.

Work in crews

There are two crews and normally five people on each crew. The crews include our crew leader, other mine servicemen and other people who are starting out here. They put us together so we can learn from each other.

Our crew leader tells us where to watch and guard the line for the day.

Good pay and advancement

The basic salary starts at $55,000, excluding overtime and bonuses, so it's fairly decent. Some jobs pay bonuses and there's contract work, too. In some positions you get lots of overtime, which will increase your salary.

There is a lot of room for advancement in this work. It all depends on what your supervisor thinks you are better at doing. Some jobs require you to be more active, and others require you to be better at handling equipment or tools.

Underground world

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"It is a totally different environment in itself. If you have never been underground, it's nothing that you can imagine. It is nothing bad - it's just dark and it's dusty. If you're a person that likes to see and learn new things, it is a very good place to be.

"Ventilation is one of the main things underground to make sure there's clean air. It all depends on the season or whereabouts you are. If you're closer to the surface it's a little bit cooler. The farther you go, its gets warmer."

Cramped spaces

I work in cramped spaces, doing a lot of bending, kneeling. Eighty percent of the time we're sitting, but then the other 20 percent of the time we could be the hardest working guys in the mine. It's a very unique job.

I work around piping, waterlines and vent tubing, which, along with high-velocity fans, is the system used to distribute fresh air from surface. There are lots of old chains and screen hanging down. When we're working around wires we have to lock things out to make sure no one gets electrocuted.

Heavy equipment

We use heavy machines like the scissor lift decks that lift us to high places, Scooptrams* that carry gear for us around the mine, and forklifts. This is basic equipment but underground they're a lot smaller, except for the Scooptrams.

A Scooptram a load-haul-dump vehicle that is like a front end loader, except it is probably half the height, with the same size bucket as they use above ground. Different parts of the mine have different sizes of Scooptrams.

Radio essential

You have people working around machinery, alone, and so having a radio is very important. If you're 10 minutes away from a phone and there's a leak of sand, in the time it takes to get to the phone and back, there's going to be a big mess there, and it's a loss of production time for not only us but for other people that have to go clean it.

We wear the standard earmuffs, and also get the earmuffs with the headsets where the radio works inside them.

Education a long process

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"I dropped out at grade 10 and I never went back for three years. I started an at-home correspondence program and never finished that because I had a child, so I had to get a job.

"Two years ago I got my GED, because it was a requirement for this job, so I was working at the same time and taking the at-home schooling. It was a long process. It was hard to do, but I got it done."

Earliest jobs

I worked as a salesperson for a couple of years and for five years as a recreation leader and with youth justice.

Working with youth is a good job because you meet these kids when they're younger and they look up to you, and then they can come talk to you as they get older.

Making concrete

In my last job I made the Shotcrete* that comes to the mine here for ground support. It's very fast-paced, dusty, dirty, noisy and demanding work. There were hardly any days off, the money wasn't so good, and in an environment like that, it was too fast-paced; there were a lot of people that weren't thinking before their actions.

The environment just wasn't right for me.

*Note: Shotcrete is mortar or cement that can be sent at high speed through a hose.

Job requirements

To do this job you need to be somewhat creative because there are situations where you have to brainstorm to solve a problem, or you're alone and don't have anyone to tell you what to do. People skills are very important too, because you're working with a group of people every day, all day.

When I saw the requirements for this job I knew I had those, so I threw my résumé in and hoped for the best. I did have to wait a while though, because I'm sure there were a lot of other people trying to get this job as well.

Learning on the job

For the training program here they showed me a lot of the basic mining procedures and the operation of equipment, what to do in emergencies, and how to work underground. A lot of that was new to me.

I started August and I didn't go underground till September, so there was a lot of training before I could work underground.

I'm continuously learning on the job because this is entry level. I learn best if I watch someone do it, then they can tell me. A lot of people are very nice around here; they will help you, if you need help.

Immediate future

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"At this point, my goal is to move up in the company and to get a better job. I'd like to improve on wherever my supervisor sees me best doing. I'd like to try a little bit of everything, and eventually work underground.

"So there is no one focus I have right now. I want to learn everything I can while I'm here."

Long-term plans

I want to stay with Vale Inco. They have a 30-year pension plan, so I have no plans on leaving.

In five years, I'd like to be drilling. To do that, I'll have to show my supervisors that I have what it takes, and I can do what's needed. I'll have to go through the training for that first.

I've also thought about being a mechanic or an electrician because this company offers training courses for apprenticeship jobs.

Personal hopes

Something I've always wanted to do is travel, anywhere, as far away as I can.

I'd really like to go overseas to Africa. Seeing it on TV is just not enough.

Make it safer

I want to see mining becoming safer. Safety is always in everyone's heads here; it's always important.

You don't like to see a fellow co-worker get hurt. That's our number one priority here.

Finish high school

My only advice to others wanting to get into this line of work is to finish school because it is important. While growing up I was heading into a dead end, but then I changed it around and things got better.

Finishing high school is very helpful.

Job Market Info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official title for Robbie's occupation is "Underground Mine Service and Support Worker" and it's NOC* code is 8411.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

Working in Canada Career Research Tool

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupation Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

Useful High School subjects

- Industrial Arts
- Mechanics
- Physics
- First Aid

*Source: JobFutures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to four free courses.

Essential Skills

The most important Essential Skills* for Underground Mine Service and Support Workers and other related occupations are:

- Oral communication
- Problem solving
- Job task planning and organizing
- Working with others

*For more information on Essential Skills and their importance to this occupation, go to: Essential Skills

Professional Resources

Forward North (Northern Manitoba Sector Council)
Forward North works on behalf of the Northern Manitoba Sector Council, which includes seven mining, forestry and hydro companies that operate in northern Manitoba. Forward North helps match these companies' needs for skilled workers with trained people able to fill those jobs.

Mining Association of Manitoba
Represents all operating mines in the province as well as most firms conducting mineral exploration projects in Manitoba

Related Careers

Drillers and Blasters - Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction (NOC 7372)

Mine Labourers (NOC 8614)

Underground Production and Development Miners (NOC 8231)