MINING INSIGHTS
DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MINER
From camp to site and back again
Have you landed your dream role, and wondering what to expect for your first FIFO job? Maybe you’re curious about what your family member or mate gets up to on site? Take a look into an average day of a mine worker in Australia. Of course, exact days vary greatly across operations and depending on your role, but the below is a general representation of what you can expect.
Morning
04:00, Wake up: Your mornings start very, very early. Think waking up to the sound of everybody else’s alarms going off through the thin donga walls, while you get dressed, pull on your boots and walk out the door with your bag. Don’t forget your crib containers!
04:30, Breakfast: Next you’ll head to the mess for brekky, which is usually a selection of hot foods like hashbrowns, eggs and bacon, and your regular choices like cereal, toast and fruits. Pick and pack your crib (lunch and snacks) for the day - there’s normally a cold bar with salads and meats, fridges with prepared sandwiches, sometimes some meat pies and sausage rolls, or a freezer with portioned leftovers from last night’s dinner. You may grab a takeaway instant coffee - it’s better than nothing at this time of the morning, and you get used to the taste anyway.
04:55, Bus stop: Wait at the bus stop, but make sure to avoid the grumpy people and those extremely cheery morning people who have way too much energy for this time of day. The bus arrives, and everybody shuffles on. The driver kicks it into gear and departs sharply at 5am - no time for stragglers. Busses will leave from different locations at different times, so make sure you get on the right one.
05:00, Bus ride: The bus ride could be ten minutes to the front gate with your worksite the first drop off right after, or up to 45 minutes or more to reach your stop. It’s not always easy to get some extra shut-eye on the ride in, but we wish you the best of luck if that’s your thing. Remember the golden rule - always thank the driver when you get off
Site
05:40, Sign in: Every person on site, worker or visitor, is required to sign/swipe in and “blow in the bag” - that is, an alcohol breath test. You must return a ZERO reading - if you “blow numbers” you’ll be stood down to follow procedure. This is usually a second, supervised breath test in 20 minutes’ time. Returning numbers again will trigger an investigation, and if found to be a genuine reading, usually a one-way ticket home - otherwise known as “a pineapple and window seat.”
05:45, Pre-start: Also known as a toolbox, this is a 5-15 minute meeting of your department, team or work area. Leading hands, supervisors or management will review recent incidents, operational updates, upcoming blasts, and go over shift targets, jobs, critical risks, and other relevant matters. A pre-start board is used to record and display this information. You may also be encouraged to participate in some warm up stretches or trivia.
06:00, Start of shift: Once jobs have been assigned for the shift, everybody splits off to their work areas. Make sure you bring your drink bottle, crib, PPE, two-way and anything else you need. From here, it’s hard to say exactly what your day will look like. You may be flat out like a lizard drinking, lose track of time staring at the sky, not speak to another soul for 12 hours, wish you could throw your two-way out the window, clock up hundreds of kilometres driving back and forth aimlessly, find yourself lost, fight off every bug known to man, get interrupted by an emergency tone any moment, eat a hard hat full worth of dirt and dust, witness the wonders of an electrical storm roll in across the Australian outback, spy some cheeky cockatoos teasing a dingo under the coolabah tree… Who knows?
12:00, Crib: Oh awesome, it’s crib time! Usually you’ll head to the nearest crib hut to sit down and have a bite to eat, use the bathroom, check your phone, have a yarn… When break is done, return to work, and repeat the first 6 hours of your shift (avoiding eating the dirt, if you can help it)
18:00, Finish: The days (and nights) are long, but you do get used to them. Depending on the time of year, you might even catch a gorgeous sunset during the bus ride on your way off site. It’s those kinds of moments after a long, hard day, watching the sky turn from blue to purple, pink, orange and darken to black, knowing that you have hot food, a bed and an air-conditioned room waiting for you, that you’re grateful for the life that is mining… except when Jack won’t shut up on the bus ride back to camp about his new gym routine. Also - thank the driver!
Evening
18:45, Shower: Yanking your boots off and getting out of your heavy PPE sure is great. Go jump in the shower and enjoy the feeling of washing the day’s work from your skin, hair, ears, eyes and under your nails. Bask under the water for a moment and close your eyes - you deserve it. When the hunger pangs hit you, dry off and get into some comfy clothes. If it’s washing night, bring your dirty uniforms and other clothes on the way out and drop them off at the laundry.
19:00, Dinner: Strolling up to the mess, you pass plenty of faces - some smile or say g’day, some with their head in their phone. Everybody winds down at the end of the day in their own way. Grab a plate or bowl and fill it up - soup, bread, meat, veggies, salad. Take a seat at a table by yourself, with mates or strangers - use your common sense and courtesy here. Televisions might be playing the news, or a sports game. Maybe an ice-cream or hot cup of tea will tempt you tonight?
19:25, Laundry: On the way back, place your washing in a machine dryer (don’t forget to set another timer and take it out again), or bring it back to your room if you have a line you can hang it on.
19:30, Evening: This is your time - sure, you may not have much at the end of the day, but getting into a routine isn’t so bad. Go to the gym, call your partner, watch some Netflix, read a book. Whatever you do, remember it’s important to focus on some “you time” every now and then.
20:00, Bed time: Crawling into bed, you can’t believe the day is finally over. The mattress isn’t great and the sheets could definitely be better, but hey, at least you don’t have to worry about cleaning or cooking. After a good night’s rest, you’ll be back to it tomorrow and used to it in no time.
