engineer

principal

mining engineer

specialist

project manager

BHP Billiton Iron Ore is one of several in the BHP Billiton group and is a diverse and challenging environment to work in.  I enjoyed my work at the company as it provided opportunities for learning and career growth.

I learned much about mining operations for open cut iron ore mines and how we export our resources to China and other emerging economies.  I learned much about the supply chain management processes and systems including Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) which measure production processes from beginning to end.  

I also spent several years working with their SAP implementation project globally.  I held positions in Marketing and Group Functions Singapore, Stainless Steel Materials Nickel West, and Iron Ore Perth Australia.  I now have extensive experience and background in SAP in the Materials Management (MM) area particularly Remote Logistics Management (RLM) and Procure to Pay (P2P).

The most enjoyable part of the job was having face to face contact with a diverse and wide range of people in Singapore and Perth and at mines in the Pilbara.. from Team Administrators right up to Managers, Vice Presidents and Executives I was able to add value across all areas of the business.

BHP Billiton West Australian Iron Ore (WAIO) have now implemented their portion of the global SAP project and are now embedding processes, stabilizing and optimizing their business after this 5 year business transformation to simplify, align and perform at best practice.  The company has been a great place to work and I am grateful for the good relationships I have built and all the things I have learned.  I think this company has a great future.

A typical day at work involved conducting safety meetings, general discussions and delegating tasks to my team.  I reviewed, amended and created new work instructions.  Reviewed my teams training needs and liaised with our training department and our management team to ensure my team were confident in carrying out their duties and gain new skills.  I managed the stock taking of our warehouse and investigated ant discrepancies.  When needed I would assist with the loading and unloading of freight with the forklifts as well as the goods receiving and good issuing.  I checked each day the despatching of freight ensuring it was safely secured and the correct documentation was done.   Review freight invoices and control the mine's freight budget. Ensure house keeping is maintained at the highest level and ensure everyone in my area complies with our safety rules and conducts themselves in a professional manner. I carried out random checks each day. I also operated several computer programs such as GSAP, 1SAP, MIMS, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Chem. Alert 2, Ospat (Drug and alcohol reporting), Hummingbird (document storage and retrieval). Reviewed and controlled security system. 
Every day had a new challenge which made the job interesting and enjoyable.  Everyone worked as a team. By setting the standard and assisting my team I gain their respect and gained the confidence from  other departments.
The hardest part of the job was not enough hours in the day to do as much as you would like.  You have to prioritise your work and plan ahead. 
I enjoyed the industry I was in and the people who worked in it. I enjoyed the challenges.

1. First thing in the morning was to prepare the past 24 hours production (location, stope description, drilling and stocks description, quality of ores at different ug locations, hauling and ore deliveries to the mill, major issues and problems related to mine production and planning), and roof support works by the contractor during the past 24 hours.
2. Attend the production meeting with the area mine managers, area supervisors, production engineers, geologists, planning engineers, safety officers and the general manager. Present the summary reports on production and quality and delivery statistics and ask questions to address issues in the next 24 hours. Advise adjustments and refinements required in the plans and production planning and drilling and blasting schedules for the next 24 hours.
3. Refine the production plans for the next 24 hours and for the week. Do refinements to meet monthly forecast/budget production meeting grade/quality delivery commitments to the Mill.
4. Collect all the cost data for the ore production and delivery to the mill.
5. Update the running KPIs to keep check and control on the forecast/budget mine and product schedules.
6. Coordinate with the Mill, roof support shotcreting contractor, planning engineers and the financial accountants to make comprehensive running reports for the management.
7. Liaise with the mine manager to do any needfuls.
8. Liaise with the mill manager to do any needfulls.

Enjoyed 12 hours shift with opportunity to have a longer weekends.

Mine access / egress control at Goonyella/Riverside Coal Mine.

Oversight of safety compliance on the minesite.

I learnt about mine safety compliance systems and procedures.  I was involved in the Emergency Response team on the mine with enable me to participate and learn about Mine Rescue and Emergency response.

Management and I worked collaboratively to implement changes when the Security role was changed to incorporate Security and Emergency Response.  I often provided support and advise to the Safety Superintendent whom often referred to my vast experiences and this assisted him to achieve his goals.

Coworkers often complained of the environment and conditions but I continued to maintain a positive ethos in order to achieve both personal and corporate goals.

The hardest part of the job at some times was the requirement to continually update and maintain skills, however I was able to achieve all required.

The most enjoyable part of the work I was working in a dynamic and challenging environment where I was able to continually learn new skills and contribute to corporate goals.

A typical day during the drilling season would see me liaising with the Senior Exploration Geologist at the start of shift to discuss all operations that were our responsibility for the day along with discussions for upcoming events. 

 Bauxite exploration and grade control requires a high volume of survey pegging and drilling, the work is seasonal and we would expect to drill and peg approximately 15-18,000 drill holes, this would be planned for 4-5 Vacuum drilling rigs to complete over a 6 month period. each rig has a 2 man crew. 
Even though there is a high volume of work involved, the logistics for this program can be run very effectively with a minimum of managerial supervision. 
The basics for the day to day operations were confirming land access,  ground survey, the condition of the drill rigs and welfare of the operational crews. Safety inspections along with Quality control checks on each drill rig were also a part of the daily routine.
 Planning the day to cover access to all rigs as they were spread out and access for safety visits especially the rigs in active mining areas would require detailed pre-planning.

A typical day was to facilitate the safe and efficient loading of various grades of Manganese ore onto Bulk Ore Ships for export . Tasks included Stockpile management/Stacking/Benching, Ore Sampling / Processing , Front End Loader operation , Port Security, Ships Lines Handling , Tug Operations/Linesman/Tug hand , Basic Maintenance .
Due to the irregular nature of Shipping schedules we learned to be flexible and worked when required to best serve the operation.
My co-workers and I very much worked as a team and prided ourselves on doing the best job possible whilst always practicing the highest safety standards . 
Some of the hardest parts of the job for me were also some of the most enjoyable . Challenges frequently arose , however once they were conquered there was always a satisfying sense of achievement .Being flexible , working efficiently and safely within a close team environment and going home knowing that we had achieved the best we could was the best part of the job for me . 
 The Management were professional , safety focused and fair . 
I would relish the chance to work for BHP again if given the opportunity .

As a mining organisation BHP Billiton thrives on success and positive outcomes. During my time at BHP Billiton there were various restructuring cycles and management changes. However this did not deter the business from doing what it did best, making ore to sell.

The management had an interesting style which included a blame culture, the team that I was working with was part of changing that culture and we had positive results.

A typical day for me was to create, amend and delete documentation for maintenance and safety procedures. This required communication from management, maintenance crews and WHS representatives.

I left the business as a result of the recent downsizing at the mine and as a casual employee I decided to leave on my own accord. With the changes that my team was involved in across site, I would happily recommend and even suggest that employment at Olympic Dam is a great career move. 

They have a great learning culture and the new personnel that are working under the new Mine Manager understand that the business is just that and are now running it as such for a better future.

Start at 5 am haul slag from the slag end to the tip station on the dump always watch wind direction,knock pots every 2 hours bring in fresh pots record time of knocking pots,hot spots any other issues with them.Break at 9:30/10 am, service hauler then take to workshop.Then into Excavator to break up revert or dig out full tip stations and anything else that is required until 1:30,have a break and then pass out hauler driver at 2 pm do the same as morning shift until pass-out at 5 pm.
I have learnt to be more patient,open to many new and different ideas of  people from different cultures,not to be complacent about anything at work or home and that has helped me to become a better person.Knowing that i can do what ever i set my mind on and do it well.
Management team are very approachable people and are willing to listen to any issues,concerns or new ideas.
My co-workers are a great bunch of people that are willing to pass on their experience and knowledge at any time.
Learning 1 SAP with little training because of staff shortages.
Continuing to learn everyday and becoming a better operator and the people i work with.

A typical day at work with BMC at South Walker Creek Coal Mine included the review of High Risk Task procedures and training requirements, this also led to the need to develop audit tools for Workplace Inspections, Equipment Inspections, VOC training requirements and development of site wide Training Matrix' for individual employees and contracting companies.

In this role my greatest learning centred around the different requirements and documents required to perform tasks.

the management based at this mine site were very pro-active towards safety and implementing changes to reduce risk and improve efficiencies of high risk tasks.

The hardest part of this role was adjusting to the different requirements for performing basic (everyday) tasks as I had previously worked with some more regulated sites.

The most enjoyable part of my time at this site was leading revisions of site specific Policies and Procedures which allowed me to introduce some best practice methods to everyday (basic) tasks

There are very skilled and dedicated people in the community section of BHP's workplace. There was good interaction and regular meetings - 500 km distance between team members in the two offices. Training, safety and a pleasant workplace were strong.
I came from a position where I worked closer to the communities we served, it took some time to see our role to be at a higher order of organisation. However, there were several NGOs contracted to bring services to people more directly. workplace, work times, opportunities were all at a high level. Corporate vision of Aboriginal wellbeing was strongly stated and tackled. Maybe a closer evaluation of impacts and follow-up when constraints stopped progress could have helped strengthen the effective impact of BHP's great resources and support in regard to the social effects among the Martu people.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Engineer 18 salaries reported	$128,618 per year
Principal 4 salaries reported	$207,750 per year
Mining engineer 6 salaries reported	$162,667 per year
Specialist 3 salaries reported	$165,000 per year
Project manager 12 salaries reported	$179,000 per year

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