Home / Career Explorer / Engineering Careers

Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers

$100,640 Median Wage (2023)

400 Projected job openings (2023-2033)

2.00% Projected growth (2023-2033)

Conduct subsurface surveys to identify the characteristics of potential land or mining development sites. May specify the ground support systems, processes, and equipment for safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction or underground construction activities. May inspect areas for unsafe geological conditions, equipment, and working conditions. May design, implement, and coordinate mine safety programs.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree

Related Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: Up to and including 1 month

On-the-Job Training: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

Detailed Work Activities

Train personnel on proper operational procedures.
Supervise engineering or other technical personnel.
Inspect facilities or sites to determine if they meet specifications or standards.
Determine operational methods.
Select tools, equipment, or technologies for use in operations or projects.
Prepare detailed work plans.
Review technical documents to plan work.
Estimate operational costs.
Schedule operational activities.
Prepare operational reports.
Monitor the productivity or efficiency of industrial operations.
Design structures or facilities.
Design industrial equipment.
Prepare technical reports for internal use.
Coordinate safety or regulatory compliance activities.
Investigate safety of work environment.
Advise others on health and safety issues.
Develop software or computer applications.
Develop technical methods or processes.
Resolve operational performance problems.
Direct construction activities.
Analyze design or requirements information for mechanical equipment or systems.
Research industrial processes or operations.
Research topics in area of expertise.
Conduct research to inform art, designs, or other work.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Prepare technical reports for use by mining, engineering, and management personnel.
Inspect mining areas for unsafe structures, equipment, and working conditions.
Select or develop mineral location, extraction, and production methods, based on factors such as safety, cost, and deposit characteristics.
Select locations and plan underground or surface mining operations, specifying processes, labor usage, and equipment that will result in safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction of minerals and ores.
Prepare schedules, reports, and estimates of the costs involved in developing and operating mines.
Monitor mine production rates to assess operational effectiveness.
Supervise, train, and evaluate technicians, technologists, survey personnel, engineers, scientists or other mine personnel.
Examine maps, deposits, drilling locations, or mines to determine the location, size, accessibility, contents, value, and potential profitability of mineral, oil, and gas deposits.
Design, implement, and monitor the development of mines, facilities, systems, or equipment.
Test air to detect toxic gases and recommend measures to remove them, such as installation of ventilation shafts.
Implement and coordinate mine safety programs, including the design and maintenance of protective and rescue equipment and safety devices.
Devise solutions to problems of land reclamation and water and air pollution, such as methods of storing excavated soil and returning exhausted mine sites to natural states.
Lay out, direct, and supervise mine construction operations, such as the construction of shafts and tunnels.
Design, develop, and implement computer applications for use in mining operations such as mine design, modeling, or mapping or for monitoring mine conditions.
Select or devise materials-handling methods and equipment to transport ore, waste materials, and mineral products efficiently and economically.
Evaluate data to develop new mining products, equipment, or processes.
Design mining and mineral treatment equipment and machinery in collaboration with other engineering specialists.
Conduct or direct mining experiments to test or prove research findings.

Work Styles

Achievement/Effort

Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

Persistence

Initiative

Leadership

Cooperation

Concern for Others

Social Orientation

Self-Control

Stress Tolerance

Adaptability/Flexibility

Dependability

Attention to Detail

Integrity

Independence

Innovation

Analytical Thinking

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 28.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Explore Grad Schools Explore Colleges

Session has been expired