Surface Mining Equipment Operator

In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.

The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used. Here is how this occupation has been classified over time:

• 2006 NOC: Heavy Equipment Operators (Except Crane) (7421) 
• 2006 NOC-S: Heavy Equipment Operators (Except Crane) (H611) 
• 2011 NOC: Heavy equipment operators (except crane) (7521) 
• 2016 NOC: Heavy equipment operators (except crane) (7521) 
• 2021 NOC: Heavy equipment operators (73400) 

In Alberta, the surface mining industry is primarily concerned with 2 kinds of operations. These include the mining of energy minerals (such as coal or heavy oil sands) and extraction of non-metallic minerals (such as sand, gravel, and lime).

The mining methods and equipment used vary with the type and location of mineral.

Surface mining equipment operators operate equipment such as:

• Backhoes
• Large tractor and rubber-tired dozers
• Rubber-tired scrapers
• Electrical or mechanical drive haul trucks
• Graders
• Front-end loaders
• Service, water, or other types of trucks
• Draglines
• Hydraulic or cable shovels
• Utility vehicles and tractors for handling high-voltage cables
• Packers
• Surface mine dewatering equipment
• Equipment transporters
• Stationary plant or conveyor systems

Surface coal mining and oil sands mining in Alberta use 2 basic mining methods (or a combination of both):

• Open pit mining involves removing the overburden (topsoil, regolith, and waste rock) by drilling holes with self-propelled drills in a blasting pattern.
• Strip mining uses draglines, cable, or hydraulic shovels to remove the overburden and expose the ore.

In most situations, surface mining equipment operators use large front-end loaders or power shovels with huge buckets (up to 44 cubic metres in capacity). These can load broken overburden and ore into large rear dump trucks (up to 360 metric tons). Truck drivers haul overburden materials to waste dumps and ore to ore-processing plants. In some situations, materials are moved by conveyor belt.

Surface mining equipment operators must identify hazards and controls, as safety is a priority. They must inspect their equipment, report any need for repairs, and maintain operating and service logs. They are in charge of cleaning, lubricating, and refueling their equipment. They may be assigned other duties associated with overall mining operations.

Surface mining equipment operators generally work shifts in environmentally controlled cabs or control rooms. They must be able to sit for long periods of time with exposure to vibration and jarring. They sometimes need to work outdoors. At mines in remote locations, operators may be away from home for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, living and working closely with their colleagues.

Safety precautions and personal protective equipment (PPE, including safety boots, gloves, hard hats, glasses, and hearing protection) are required. PPE reduces the risk of injury associated with working near or with machinery. This occupation also involves a lot of climbing, stooping, crouching, bending, and heavy lifting.

In Alberta, most surface mining equipment operators work in rock quarries, or in open pit mines that extract oil sand or coal.

Surface mining equipment operators most often start as helpers, labourers, or truck drivers. With experience and on-the-job training they can advance to larger or more complex equipment and possibly to supervisory positions.

As a condition of employment, surface mining equipment operators may need to join a union.

Surface mining equipment operators are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 7521: Heavy equipment operators (except crane) occupational group. In Alberta, 82% of people employed in this classification work in the following industries:

• Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction [pdf]
• Construction [pdf]
• Manufacturing [pdf]

The employment outlook [pdf] in this occupation is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• Time of year (for seasonal jobs)
• Trends and events affecting overall employment, especially in the industries listed above
• Location in Alberta
• Employment turnover (when people leave existing positions)
• Occupational growth (when new positions are created)
• Size of the occupation

In Alberta, the 7521: Heavy equipment operators (except crane) occupational group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 1.4% from 2019 to 2023. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 195 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.

Note
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For example, only some of the new positions to be created will be for this occupation. It also applies to other data for the NOC group such as number of people employed.

Source: 2019-2023 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Canadian Mining Certification Program website: mihr.ca/standards-training-recognition/the-canadian-mining-certification-program/

Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) website: mihr.ca

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