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Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator

What Do Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator Do?

Occupation Description Operate machinery such as longwall shears, plows, and cutting machines to cut or channel along the face or seams of coal mines, stone quarries, or other mining surfaces to facilitate blasting, separating, or removing minerals or materials from mines or from the Earth’s surface. Includes shale planers.

Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator Responsibilities

  • Remove debris such as loose shale from channels and planer travel areas.
  • Cut and move shale from open pits.
  • Signal crew members to adjust the speed of equipment to the rate of installation of roof supports, and to adjust the speed of conveyors to the volume of coal.
  • Charge and set off explosives in blasting holes.
  • Guide and assist crews in laying track for machines and resetting planer rails, supports, and blocking, using jacks, shovels, sledges, picks, and pinch bars.
  • Free jams in planer hoppers, using metal pinch bars.

Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator Needed Skills

Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Operation Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Other Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator Job Titles

  • Heavy Machinery Operator
  • Channel Machine Operator
  • Clay Miner
  • Long Wall Shear Operator
  • Shale Miner

Job Outlook for Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators

There were about 6,100 jobs for Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator. There will be an estimated 700 positions for Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator are Alaska, Missouri, and Texas. Watch out if you plan on working in Georgia, Illinois, or Virginia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for a Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator

The salary for Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators ranges between about $28,680 and $74,250 a year.

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Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators who work in Wyoming, West Virginia, or Pennsylvania, make the highest salaries.

How much do Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators make in different U.S. states?

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $52,250
California $58,290
Colorado $56,730
Illinois $48,230
Indiana $44,160
Kentucky $41,290
Missouri $37,400
New York $39,720
Ohio $50,000
Oklahoma $35,960
Pennsylvania $60,830
South Carolina $46,740
Tennessee $42,280
Texas $34,500
Virginia $38,630
West Virginia $62,110
Wyoming $80,740

What Tools do Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators may use on a daily basis:

  • Microsoft Excel

How do I Become a Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator?

What education is needed to be a Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator?

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Where Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators Are Employed

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The table below shows the approximate number of Mine Cutting and Channeling Machine Operators employed by various industries.

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Those interested in being a Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator may also be interested in:

Career changers with experience as a Mine Cutting or Channeling Machine Operator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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