News
Dysart State High School students go underground
Ten students from Dysart State High School who are currently completing their Certificate I in Resources & Infrastructure Operations (RIO) were recently able to experience a ‘day-in-the-life’ of an underground coal mine operator at Anglo Coal Moranbah North Mine.
With transport funding provided by QMEA, the students travelled 100 km to Moranbah from Dysart for a training day and then for their underground tour.
Due to the high level of safety requirements needed when venturing into an underground mine, the students participated in a full day safety training to be proficient in using the breathing apparatus, and practicing what to do in the case of a cave in, fire and if they get separated from the group. The students and their trainer then had to successfully pass an assessment before they could go onto the mine site.
All students and their trainer passed this assessment successfully and returned the following week to Anglo Coal Moranbah North Mine ready to see what it is like at an underground coal mine.
They were all very excited and could not believe the difference between an open cut and underground mine site and the size of the trucks. At open cut mines trucks are the size of a three story building, but at the underground mine, they looked like they had been ‘squashed’ to be able to manoeuvre easily in the underground tunnels.
With their newly acquired knowledge of the workings of an underground mine and the experience they gained by ‘going underground’ themselves, they not only have a whole new respect for the people who work there, but have gained a valuable insight into underground mining as a possible career opportunity.
A special thank you needs to go to the following people who made this opportunity for these students possible: Justin Murray, Brent Sparks and other staff from Anglo Coal Moranbah North Mine; Delaney Nugent (QMEA Field Officer), QMEA (Event Support funding) and Jason Probyn (Dysart State High School Cert I RIO Industry Trainer) who also had his first underground mine experience after 16 years of working in the open cut coal mining industry.
Tracey Cuttriss-Smith, Head of Department, Dysart State High School