Mine supervisor to mine health and safety engineer
A mine supervisor already meets 26% of what the mine health and safety engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.1/ 100
1 How much of what a mine health and safety engineer is expected to do is already part of a mine supervisor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the mine health and safety engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mine health and safety engineer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a mine supervisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- geology
- investigate mine accidents
- maintain records of mining operations
- mine safety legislation
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mine health and safety engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mine supervisor background worth leading with.
- already held inspect mine safety conditions information skills
- already held investigate mine accidents information skills
- already held mine safety legislation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held maintain records of mining operations information skills
- already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the mine health and safety engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn train employees in mine safety required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- still to learn prepare scientific reports required
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- still to learn develop health and safety strategies in mining required
- still to learn manage emergency procedures required
- still to learn supervise staff required
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- optional, not held impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- still to learn prevent health and safety problems required
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- optional, not held monitor employee's health optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mine health and safety engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 prevent health and safety problems practise this
- 02 train employees in mine safety practise this
- 03 address problems critically practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 5 skills that carry over
- already held geology knowledge
- already held investigate mine accidents skill
- already held maintain records of mining operations skill
- already held mine safety legislation knowledge
- already held inspect mine safety conditions skill
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
- optional, not held monitor employee's health optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
21 held skills the mine health and safety engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on mine production skill
- not needed by the target role communicate mine equipment information skill
- not needed by the target role develop working procedures skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate mine development projects skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate mineral resources skill
- not needed by the target role maintain plans of a mining site skill
- not needed by the target role manage heavy equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage mine site data skill
- not needed by the target role manage resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
- not needed by the target role minerals laws knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor mine costs skill
- not needed by the target role monitor mine production skill
- not needed by the target role optimise financial performance skill
- not needed by the target role oversee mine planning activities skill
- not needed by the target role report on environmental issues skill
- not needed by the target role schedule mine production skill
- not needed by the target role supervise mine construction operations skill
- not needed by the target role supervise work skill
- not needed by the target role use mine planning software skill
- not needed by the target role write production reports skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- optional, not held impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
Common questions about this move
Can a mine supervisor become a mine health and safety engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A mine supervisor already covers 26% of what a mine health and safety engineer is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the mine health and safety engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a mine supervisor need to become a mine health and safety engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is prevent health and safety problems.
How hard is the move from mine supervisor to mine health and safety engineer?
Its learning distance is 67.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.