Modern mining

To some, the idea of mining brings up old imagery of hundreds of people walking into holes in the ground with spades in their hand and canaries in tow, but the reality of mining today is very different. Mining is an industry revolutionized by innovative engineering, finding new ways to safely and responsibly make the most of any project whilst simultaneously minimizing the risks for the people involved, for the surrounding communities and for our planet.

Open pits and advanced equipment

Our primary mining method is open pit mining. This involves excavating a large, open pit to access deposits near the earth’s surface, using state-of-the-art equipment from our specialized excavator and drills to the automated systems designed to monitor and control heavy equipment.

Environmental stewardship

One of the tired old cliches about mining is that it cannot be done in an environmentally responsible manner. On that, we take a different view. We have advanced water and waste management systems that embrace modern techniques and allow us to ensure we have the smallest possible impact on the places where we operate whilst we extract the materials that we need to create the society we want to live in. And we’re committed to rehabilitating mine sites after operations have run their course, restoring the land to a suitable use that will positively impact the people, plants and animals for a long time to come.

Job roles in a modern mine

Obviously, we do employ engineers and truck drivers, but there are so many more roles at a modern mine that people do not know about. We employ a huge variety of people from environmental analysts, safety officers and health and wellbeing specialists to AI and software engineers. These diverse roles come together to create a modern, forward-facing company that serves its purpose for society and shares the value it creates with the people and the places where it works.

You can read more about the variety of job roles at First Quantum here.