Mental Health Underground
The mining industry is associated with specific job stresses.
Michael, a local underground miner, shares his story about the impacts that working in the industry has on his mental health.
Every day at the beginning of shift, we have a general meeting to go over things like safety, incidents etc. Then there is another toolbox meeting once you get underground to go over safety, risk assessments, and so on in the area you will be working in. It can take more than an hour to drive to the bottom of the pit, and the same (or longer) to get out if you miss one of the vehicles.
You are literally spending all day long in a dark hole underneath the earth where if you turn off your headlamp, it’s the blackest blackness you have ever experienced. In some places, it’s pretty noisy, but in others, completely silent. You have to carry quite a few kilograms of safety and self-rescue equipment at all times, knowing that in a critical incident, even that equipment may not save your life.
There are long distances to travel between locations, and you may not see another human for hours on end. In the long times spent driving or walking between locations, all you have is your thoughts.
Even on the best of days where nothing is bothering me, the constant darkness and the heaviness of the earth above presses down, and I often exit the pit feeling emotionally flat and drained.
I can go days without seeing daylight so I’m constantly living in the dark, at work and outside of work when it’s personal or family time.
It's so important to listen to how you are feeling mentally. If you aren’t feeling ok, talk to someone about it or do something to help you get on top of it like catching up with your mates or going for a walk and spending some time in the sun on your days off. Little things like that improve my mental health, which helps me focus while I’m at work and makes sure I’m working safely.
