Donna Lindsay, Heavy-Duty Mechanic

Women of Steel

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"When I came to Inco there was only one female who worked underground and that was at T-1*. And I asked that question: ‘Why are there not more women underground?' I was told, 'Well, they don't put in for underground, they don't try to work underground.'

"I've had the Women of Steel** people trying to talk to me about doing interviews for having women in the workforce. And I turned it down all the time. Finally I thought, 'Well no, we need more women to work in trades.' And that's why I figured I'd speak out now because I do want more women in the workforce."

*Note: This is one of the mines.

**Note: Women of Steel is the United Steelworkers union program for women in industrial trades.

Workplace images

Vale Inco

I'm employed by Vale Inco at its Thompson nickel operation. There are about 1700 employees working at the three headframes and surface operations.

I work as a heavy-duty mechanic deep underground in the Birchtree Mine, which is one of three main shafts.

A different world

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"Underground is a different world. I remember the first day I went under.  I didn't expect it. You depend on your light that's on your hat - your lamp. And there's blasting and stuff.

"We go down to 3400 feet below the surface and our shop is there. We have two shops, a 10-ton side and 20-ton side, and we go out on the ramp which is what takes you from level to level."

Giant machines

I work with heavy machinery such as trams, rock bolters, ITH drills, Geminis, Aries*, forklifts and Scooptrams*. Scooptrams are really, really big load-haul-dump vehicles. The tires alone are taller than me and weigh 2000 pounds. That's just one tire, so that gives you an idea of how large these machines are.

*Note: These are brands of heavy duty machinery used for drilling, extraction, processing and delivery of mined materials.

Very noisy

It's very noisy underground because I have all this equipment running all around me and the sound bounces off the rock. I wear specially designed ear protection. As well, we have communication devices, so I'm always in touch with everybody around me.

There is constant noise.

Preventative maintenance

Every 250 hours we do preventative maintenance to make sure everything is working properly or to see if it needs repairing.

We examine the machines, check the oil and look for leaks or cracks and then make a record of it. Each piece of equipment has its own preventative maintenance chart.

First job at 12

While my dad worked in the mine, my mother also worked. She had a job in the butcher shop.

When I was 12 I had an after school job at the same store, stocking shelves and working the tills. That was really my first job.

My own person

My greatest accomplishment is securing a good job and being able to take care of myself. I'm independent, I don't depend on anybody for anything and I'm my own person.

When you make good money, you can afford to make your own choices.

Mining town life

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I grew up in Lynn Lake, which is here in Manitoba. It's a mining town. That's where my father worked. And that's just how it was. A mining town is a mining town, and there isn't much more going on, it's all mining. That's where the money is and that's where I was."

Safe childhood

Childhood was a lot different when I was a kid than it is today. It seemed a lot safer than it is now. Mining towns are always tiny little places where everybody knows each other.

We didn't even have locks on our doors back then. Nobody had locks. You didn't need them because everyone knew each other.

Close to nature

The thing with being in the north is that it is right at your back door. Everything is right there and it's nice to be close to nature. The summers are great.

The winters are cold but you have indoor things that you can also do. For outdoor activities, besides places for skidooing, there are groomed trails here that go all over and that's great.

Quick response

The mine depends on you to fix equipment if it breaks down on the ramp. If that happens, you have to get it off the ramp because it's stopping all production. Things like that are pretty high-pressure but it can also be very exhilarating to get things moving again. That's a big accomplishment. It makes me feel really good about myself and my job.

Night shift pace

(TEXT FROM SOUNDBITE)

"Night shift there's only one mechanic on the crew. So basically you're in charge of the whole mine. Any breakdowns and you're running from the top of the mine to the bottom.

"If there are 10 mechanics, every 10 weeks we'll work a graveyard set. And you're by yourself. When I come off graveyard shift, I let them know what happened through the shift and what needs to be done for day shift, so that they can go from there when they line up the rest of the crew, they know what's happening."

*Note: A graveyard set is a week of overnight shifts.

Surface schedule

When I started my apprenticeship I was working on the surface. My shift was from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. The shift went pretty fast compared with 12 hours.

But when I realized I had to work five days a week to get two days off I knew I didn't want that kind of schedule. That was another thing I didn't like about working the surface so I went underground.

Flexible time off

The mine provides us with our work schedules. If I need time off, I just ask my boss and he'll see if he can get somebody else in to cover.

And we have very good holiday pay here because they pay you based on what you made the year before.

Prefer underground

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I prefer underground. There are people who've worked on surface that say they would never, ever work underground, they like the Monday to Friday.

"Well, I tried that when I started my apprenticeship. I started on surface, and it was 7:00 to 3:00. And that shift went fast. Then I realized, I have to work five days a week to get two days off. I didn't like that idea.

"And I didn't like the surface. Surface, it  seems that you're always in the spotlight, everybody's around, whereas underground it's a different world. We go down into the shop, we play music as we work and we joke around. That's the best part - we have a good time and we do our job at the same time."

No tool allowance

All my tools are an extension of my physical self so they have to be right for me. We don't get a tool allowance. We have to buy our own tools.

But if we break a tool that we're using they will replace it for us because the tools are very expensive. I can spend five or six hundred dollars for one of my tools.

Gender challenges

I really love my job so I have a hard time thinking of anything about it that's really a challenge. The only thing that's been difficult is that I've had to prove that as a woman, I can do this job.

There's always going to be somebody who doesn't think women should be underground or shouldn't be doing this kind of work.

I didn't grow up thinking that I wanted to be a mechanic, but it's something I'm good at and something I enjoy.

Patience and persistence

I have a lot of patience. I didn't really realize how much patience I had until they gave me apprentices to teach. I take the time to go through the material with them.

I'm also very persistent. I wouldn't have gotten very far as a heavy-duty mechanic without that quality.

Working together

The difference between mechanics and operators is simple: they drive and use the machines, we fix them. They aren't expected to know how things work; that's our job.

But there are some really good operators who can tell you about that machine and what the problem is. You have to work together and maintain a good relationship.

Restaurant work

I had kind of a difficult time when I was a teenager so I left home. I was only 15 when I moved to Saskatoon, where I worked as a waitress in a restaurant until I was 18.

Then I moved back to my hometown and took a job in a restaurant. I worked a few different jobs in restaurants until I was 23. Then I got my first job at the mine and everything changed.

Proving myself

When you grow up in a mining town, money is a prime factor in choosing to work in the mines. So I tried to get into the mines, but it wasn't a normal thing for women to go underground. The attitude of some people is, "Why aren't you at home, barefoot and pregnant?"

So, as a female you really have to prove yourself capable of doing it. When I told people I wanted to get into mining they kept bugging me and trying to talk me out of it.

But I wouldn't take no for an answer. I just kept showing up and trying to get in and finally I got in.

First mining job

I got started in mining as an underground mine helper. Next I moved up to working with the skips and cage, which were two separate jobs at the time and they later combined them.

Then I was a crusher operator, which involved blasting. I also drove trucks for awhile, and operated the scoop to fill holes and work with the muck piles.

Note: A skip is a compartment or bin that is used to hoist ore up a mine shaft. A cage is similar to an elevator hoisting workers and materials up and down mine shafts. A muck pile is the blasted rock in a mine operation.

A ticket to learn

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"When I first started the apprenticeship, I was scared. I was so afraid because I didn't know anything about it. My first day on the job, on surface, they put me with an older fellow. He opened up the hood of the Jeep and I looked in there and thought to myself, ‘Oh my God...' And I said, ‘I don't know why I'm here. I don't have a clue about any of this.'

"And he looked at me and he said, ‘Well of course you don't, that's why you're an apprentice. You're here to learn. Once you have your ticket* that's a ticket to learn."

*Note: Getting your "ticket" means obtaining your qualification to work as a journeyperson. This trade is also Red Seal, meaning the ticket is good in other provinces. For more information about apprenticeship programs, see Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program in USEFUL LINKS.

Training courses

The company is really great for lifelong learning and gives you all kinds of useful courses.

I took one course about communicating effectively that taught me different ways to approach a person without getting them angry. Everybody hears things differently, and their reaction has a lot to do with how you speak and present things to them.

It was an excellent course because I learned things I could use right away in my job.

Doing what I love

I want a good life. For me, that's here in Thompson. I make a good income and I love working underground. Your job is the centre of your life so it has to be something you really enjoy.

I also want to make a difference in the world and I think I've done that just by working here. When I came here there was only the one other woman at Birchtree Mine. Since then there are two more underground, so there are four of us now. We're moving up in the workforce.

Becoming a planner

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I'd like to learn more here, I definitely would. I'm learning a lot actually from our planner. I'd like to be a planner one day. Say we have to do an engine overhaul or whatever, and we don't have the parts, so what the planner does is he looks at the job and says 'What do we need?', and he'll plan which day all this will come into action.

"Actually, the planner does a lot of work, a lot of computer work, but I guess it's another challenge and it's one more thing that you learn."

Ongoing learning

To do well at my job as a mechanic, I'm always learning more about equipment. For example, I'm learning new things now from my planner about computers.

Six years ago, I didn't know how to use the computer at all, and now I use it a lot more regularly. And I want to learn even more so that I can advance in my career.

Choose wisely

If you're planning your future, my advice to you is to finish high school and choose a career that will make you happy and make you money, because you're going to be doing that for your life.

You will spend more time at work than anywhere else. You'll spend more time with your coworkers than with your family, so your job better be something you really enjoy.

Always jobs in trades

If I couldn't do what I'm doing now I could probably go to the city. They've got heavy-duty equipment, graders, trucks and everything else that I work with here. Everybody needs a mechanic or a tradesperson.

If you've got a trade, you've got it made.

Job Market Info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official title for Donna's occupation is Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics and its NOC* code is 7312

Manitoba Job Futures

Working in Canada Career Research Tool

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupation Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

Useful High School subjects

- Industrial arts
- Mechanics
- Math
- English (applied/college)
- Computer-related courses

*Source: JobFutures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to four free courses.

Below are links to various programs and courses that will put you on the path to a career as a heavy-duty mechanic.

Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program
Certification allowing tradespeople to work in all provinces

Colleges & Universities

Red River College

Apprenticeship Training
Industrial Supervision courses

Assiniboine Community College - Brandon

Heavy-Duty Equipment Technician

Skills

The most important skills for Donna's and other related occupations are:

- Diagrams/schematics
- Machinery
- Physical/outdoor work
- Computerized equipment

For more information about this occupation go to JobFutures.ca

There is not yet an Essential Skills* profile for this occupation.

*For more information on Essential Skills and their importance, go to: Essential Skills.

Professional Resources

Mining Association of Manitoba
Represents all operating mines in the province as well as most firms conducting mineral exploration projects in Manitoba

Women of Steel (USW)
United Steelworkers union program for women in industrial trades

Related Careers

Automotive Service Technicians, Truck Mechanics and Mechanical Repairers (NOC 7321)

Construction and Industrial Millwrights (7311)

Supervisors of Heavy-duty Mechanics (NOC 7216)