Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Mine surveyor to mine health and safety engineer

A mine surveyor already meets 26% of what the mine health and safety engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From mine surveyor
26 % overlap
Distant match
To mine health and safety engineer
7 You already bring
11 Still to learn
22 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

67.6/ 100

1 How much of what a mine health and safety engineer is expected to do is already part of a mine surveyor’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

Why this move works

A mine health and safety engineer role treats 3 of its required skills as things a mine surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • maintain records of mining operations
  • prepare scientific reports
  • supervise staff

What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 7 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 surveyor background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held mining engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held maintain records of mining operations information skills
  • already held health and safety hazards underground services
  • already held impact of geological factors on mining operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held prepare scientific reports communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held supervise staff management skills

All 7 carried skills, including the 3 the mine health and safety engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 15 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn mine safety legislation required
  • still to learn electricity required
  • still to learn safety engineering required
  • optional, not held electrical engineering optional
02 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn train employees in mine safety required
  • still to learn address problems critically required
  • optional, not held troubleshoot optional
03 assisting and caring 2 required
  • still to learn prevent health and safety problems required
  • still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
04 management skills 2 required
  • still to learn develop health and safety strategies in mining required
  • still to learn manage emergency procedures required
05 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn investigate mine accidents required
  • optional, not held inspect mine safety conditions optional
  • optional, not held monitor employee's health optional
06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn geology required
Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 7 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held maintain records of mining operations skill
  • already held prepare scientific reports skill
  • already held supervise staff skill
  • already held health and safety hazards underground knowledge
  • already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
  • already held mining engineering knowledge
  • already held present reports skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held inspect mine safety conditions optional
  • optional, not held monitor employee's health optional
  • optional, not held electrical engineering optional
  • optional, not held troubleshoot optional
16 held skills the mine health and safety engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role create GIS reports skill
  • not needed by the target role create thematic maps skill
  • not needed by the target role delineate mine area skill
  • not needed by the target role dimension stone knowledge
  • not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role identify GIS issues skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain plans of a mining site skill
  • not needed by the target role manage mine site data skill
  • not needed by the target role manage staff skill
  • not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role minerals laws knowledge
  • not needed by the target role negotiate land access skill
  • not needed by the target role operate surveying instruments skill
  • not needed by the target role perform surveying calculations skill
  • not needed by the target role process collected survey data skill
  • not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn mine safety legislation required
  • still to learn electricity required
  • still to learn geology required
  • still to learn safety engineering required
  • optional, not held electrical engineering optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a mine surveyor become a mine health and safety engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A mine surveyor already covers 26% of what a mine health and safety engineer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 3 of which the mine health and safety engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a mine surveyor need to become a mine health and safety engineer?

11 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is prevent health and safety problems.

How hard is the move from mine surveyor to mine health and safety engineer?

Its learning distance is 67.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.