Quarry engineer

You would help to decide if a site is suitable for a mine or quarry and safely set up and run the operations.

You would find the best way to extract raw materials from the ground. You’d also plan how to restore a site that has come to the end of its commercial life to a condition that fits in with the surrounding environment.

You could also work in the processing plants that refine raw materials such as china clay, slate and stone (known as aggregates) for use in industries like construction.

Working with minerals surveyors, you’d explore a new site to see if it has the potential to be a commercially viable operation.

You would:

• Chart the geological make-up of a site using ground-surveying techniques
• Drill earth and rock samples for lab testing
• Build up computer models of a site and its deposits
• Advise clients about how to proceed

If mining goes ahead, you’d decide whether to use blasting, drilling or excavation methods to extract the raw materials from the ground.

You would then:

• Manage the day-to-day running of operations on the site
• Oversee technical staff
• Report on progress
• Monitor health and safety
• Make plans to prevent and deal with emergencies like a tunnel collapse or flooding

It is becoming more common to also assess the impact that a quarry or mine has on its surrounding environment. You might be responsible for making sure the site can be restored as closely as possible to its original state when the quarry or mine closes.

You’d need to have a clear understanding of health and safety issues. It would also be important to have a good knowledge of rocks and minerals and to keep up to date with new developments in the industry.