84100 Underground mine service and support workers

What this occupation covers

Underground mine service and support workers perform a range of duties related to the operation of orepasses, chutes and conveyor systems, the construction and support of underground structures, passages and roadways, and the supply of materials and supplies to support underground mining. They are employed by coal, metal and non-metallic mineral mines.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 9 main duties for this code.

• Operate and maintain ore chutes or conveyor systems to control flow of ore or coal in underground mine
• Operate construction equipment such as bulldozer, grader or backhoe to build and maintain underground passages and haulageways
• Construct and repair wood or metal supports and structures such as bulkheads, platforms, drift doors and chutes using construction and mining tools
• Attach and extend ventilation and water pipes and related mine services
• Assist miners in setting up and operating various drills and other mining machinery
• Supply and maintain backfill distribution of sand, rock or other materials
• Operate diesel or electric track haulage equipment such as ore trains to distribute personnel and supplies and to convey ore from orepass to primary crusher or skip
• Maintain supply storage areas and maintain equipment and supplies such as explosives, drill bits, fire extinguishers, lamps and batteries
• Perform routine maintenance of machinery.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 9 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 73402 Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction
• 85110 Mine labourers
• 83100 Underground production and development miners

Excluded from this code

• Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction (See 73402 Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction)
• Mine labourers (See 85110 Mine labourers)
• Underground production and development miners (See 83100 Underground production and development miners)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

backfill plant operator - underground mining · backfiller - underground mining · blaster helper - underground mining · bottom cager - underground mining · brattice builder - underground mining · bridge operator - underground mining · brusher - underground mining · cage tender · cage tender - underground mining · chute gate operator - underground mining · chute loader - underground mining · chute operator - underground mining · coal hauler - underground mining · construction worker - mines · conveyor operator - underground mining · conveyorman/woman - underground mining · crusher operator - underground mining · crusherman/woman - underground mining · deckman/woman - underground mining · diamond driller helper - underground mining · drill carriage operator helper - underground mining · driller helper - underground mining · dryman/woman - underground mining · extensible conveyor belt assembler - underground mining

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Previous formal training of up to six weeks followed by periods of on-the-job training as a helper or in support occupations is usually required.
• Previous experience as a mine labourer is usually required.
• May be certified in the basic common core program in Ontario.
• Company licensing or certification is often required for occupations in this unit group.