Mining is a primary activity; it is one of the key things we do here in Northern Ontario. Metals are fundamental to everything, but think broader to the supply and services side too. Innovation today in this industry has opened up so many new possibilities; not just efficiencies, environmentally safer practices and cost savings, but improved safety. The acceleration of technological change means integration of many other disciplines previously unimagined. For a student it opens up so many horizons here and globally.
I had a background in teaching all ages and then earned a University of Victoria certification in Adult and Continuing Education. Many of my graduating cohort work in provincial safety organizations, for industry, and in legislative bodies. I had done radio, television, and narrated a few one-off projects. When I returned to Sudbury I soon was narrating on-line mining safety training. I don’t just say words, but inject them with impact and influence so you rapidly recall potential dangers and act in a way that does not imperil yourself, your co-workers, or even process. I am in workers’ heads as they use machines, lockout and tag-out to do repairs, or climb a ladder. The words I say hopefully cause them to pause, remember, assess, evaluate, and choose to use 3 points of contact, or keep clear of pinch points. If we help a worker avoid an accident (or even a near-miss) then we have done our job.
Just as there are cycles, there is also a permanence in this industry. Your skill set is portable and applicable to many roles across an organization or more widely.
It has been a fun career. Going to mills to photograph forklifts, doing video of heavy equipment, or a mile deep to document how to operate a jumbo drill system, have been as much a part of my job at NORCAT as greeting visitors from around the world or encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation in mining.