FIFO Glossary

8:6

A roster of eight days working at the mine, then six days off at home.

14:7

A roster of two weeks (14 days) working at the mine, then one week (7 days) off at home.

Also called: 2:1.

BIBO

Bus-in bus-out. You live in a town a few hours from the mine and catch a company bus from a pick-up point there. You stay in company accommodation for your block of work days, then bus home.

Charter flight

A plane the mining company hires just for its workers, often flying straight to an airstrip at the mine. You can't buy a seat on one; the company books you on.

Day shift

A work shift during the day, usually 12 hours long. Most mines run around the clock, with a day shift and a night shift.

DIDO

Drive-in drive-out. You live in a town a few hours' drive from the mine, drive yourself there, and stay in company accommodation for your block of work days before driving home. Common in central Queensland, where many workers live in towns such as Mackay and drive to the coal mines nearby.

Even time

Any roster with the same number of days working and days off, such as 7:7 (seven days on, seven off) or 14:14.

Read our full guide to FIFO work.

FIFO

Fly-in fly-out. You fly from your home city to a remote work site, live there in company accommodation while you work a block of days, then fly home for a block of days off.

Fly-in day

The day you travel out to the mine at the start of a block of work. Some employers count it as a work day, some don't.

Fly-out day

The day you travel home from the mine at the end of a block of work. Some employers count it as a work day, some don't.

Manifest

The list of passengers booked on a company's charter flight to or from a mine. If your name isn't on it, you can't fly.

Night shift

A work shift that runs through the night, usually 12 hours long. Many mine workers do some night shifts during each trip to the mine.

R&R

Rest and recreation: the block of days off at home between your trips out to the mine.

Residential

You live in a town near the mine and go home after every shift, like a normal job.

Roster

The pattern of days you spend working at the mine and days off at home, usually written as two numbers, such as 2:1 or 8:6. Some job ads use a slash instead, such as 2/1 or 14/7, which means the same thing.

Swing

One block of working days at the mine, from the day you arrive to the day you leave. "My third swing" means your third trip out to work.

Swing change

Switching from day shifts to night shifts partway through a block of work days at the mine.

Also called: turnaround.

Turnaround (on a roster)

Switching from day shifts to night shifts partway through a block of work days at the mine.

Also called: swing change.

Camp life

Camp

The accommodation where workers live while they're at a remote mine: bedrooms, a dining hall, a gym, a bar and sometimes a shop. Often run by specialist companies such as Sodexo or Civeo.

Also called: village.

Crib

Has two meanings. It's the food you pack and take out to eat during your shift, and it's also the meal break itself, as in "heading down to crib".

Crib bag

The insulated bag you carry your food in when you head out for a shift. Most mining camps let you pack your food yourself from a self-serve spread before you leave.

Crib room

Has two meanings. Out on site, it's the lunch room where you eat during your breaks. In camp, it's the room where you make your packed lunch before your shift, from the food set out for you.

Donga

A small portable building used as a bedroom in a mining camp, usually with a bed, desk, air conditioner and often its own bathroom.

Dry camp

A mining camp where alcohol isn't allowed at all.

Dry mess

The main dining hall in a mining camp, where meals are served buffet-style and no alcohol is served. The camp bar is called the wet mess.

Also called: mess.

Hot-bedding

When two workers on opposite shifts share the same room and the same bed: one sleeps while the other works.

Mess

The main dining hall in a mining camp, where meals are served buffet-style and no alcohol is served. The camp bar is called the wet mess.

Also called: dry mess.

Motelling

When you have a room to yourself while you're at the mine, but get a different room each trip instead of keeping the same one.

Read our full guide to FIFO utility jobs.

Smoko

A short work break, such as morning tea. Used all over Australia, not just in mining.

Utility

A camp worker who does a bit of everything: cleaning bedrooms, working in the kitchen or laundry, serving in the bar or looking after the gardens. One of the most common first jobs for people new to mining.

Village

The accommodation where workers live while they're at a remote mine: bedrooms, a dining hall, a gym, a bar and sometimes a shop. Often run by specialist companies such as Sodexo or Civeo.

Also called: camp.

Wet mess

The bar in a mining camp. Most limit how much you can drink, and some don't serve alcohol at all.

Companies

Camp provider

A company that runs the accommodation where mine workers live: the bedrooms, meals, cleaning and buses. Examples include Sodexo, Compass Group (ESS) and Civeo. They don't do any mining.

Civil

Civil construction: building roads, pads, dams, drainage and the ground other things stand on. On and around a mine, civil crews build the haul roads, the pads for buildings and plant, and the tailings dams, often for a civil contractor rather than the mining company. Their machines include the water cart, the roller and the moxy (an articulated dump truck).

Client

What contractors call the mine owner: the company that owns the mine and has hired them to work there.

Also called: principal.

Contractor

A company paid by the mine owner to do part of the work at the mine, such as the digging, drilling or repairs. Thiess, for example, runs mines for other companies but doesn't own them.

Labour hire

An agency employs you and sends you to work on another company's site. The agency pays your wages, not the site.

Mine owner

The company that owns a mine and sells what comes out of it, such as BHP, Rio Tinto or Fortescue. Companies hired to work at the mine call it "the client" or "the principal".

Owner-operator

A mine where the company that owns it also employs the people who do the mining, instead of hiring another company to do it.

Principal

What contractors call the mine owner: the company that owns the mine and has hired them to work there.

Also called: client.

Read our full guide to FIFO boilermaker jobs.

Jobs and ranks

Boilermaker

A tradesperson who cuts, shapes and welds metal.

Also called: boilie.

Boilie

Slang. A tradesperson who cuts, shapes and welds metal.

Also called: boilermaker.

Read our full guide to FIFO boilermaker jobs.

Charge-up

The underground crew that loads explosives into the holes drilled in the rock face, ready for blasting.

Cleanskin

Slang for someone with no mining experience at all. The word comes from farming, where a cleanskin is an unbranded animal. Recruiters use it too: a "cleanskin intake" is a program that hires and trains people new to mining.

Also called: greenie and green skin.

Dogger

A worker who works out how heavy a load is, chooses the right slings and chains, attaches it to a crane and guides the crane driver, usually by hand signals or radio. Needs a dogging licence, a type of high-risk work licence. Many go on to become riggers, which is the next step up.

Also called: dogman.

Read our full guide to FIFO rigging and scaffolding jobs.

Dogman

Also called: dogger.

Read our full guide to FIFO rigging and scaffolding jobs.

E&I

Electrical and instrumentation: the electrical trade that also looks after a plant's control side, the controllers, sensors and networks that run it. E&I technicians often hold a Certificate IV in instrumentation on top of their electrical licence.

Read our full guide to FIFO electrician jobs.

ERT

Emergency response team: site workers trained to deal with fires, injuries, rescues and other emergencies, usually on top of their normal job.

ESO

Emergency services officer: a trained medic and emergency responder based on site, who runs the site clinic and leads the emergency response team. Some ads call the job MESO, a medical emergency services officer.

Fieldie

Short for field assistant: an entry-level worker who helps geologists collect rock and soil samples and mark out drilling sites.

Fitter

A mechanic who repairs and maintains machines and equipment.

Read our full guide to FIFO mechanical fitter jobs.

Fixed plant operator

Someone who runs the machines that stay in one place, such as the crushers, conveyor belts and mills in a processing plant.

General manager

The most senior person on a mine site, responsible for safety, production and budgets.

Also called: GM.

Geo

Short for geologist: a scientist who studies the rock to work out where the valuable minerals are.

Short for general manager. The most senior person on a mine site, responsible for safety, production and budgets.

Also called: general manager.

Green skin

Slang for someone with no mining experience at all.

Also called: cleanskin and greenie.

Greenie

Slang for someone with no mining experience at all.

Also called: cleanskin and green skin.

HD fitter

A heavy diesel mechanic: someone who repairs trucks, diggers and other big diesel machines.

Read our full guide to FIFO diesel mechanic jobs.

Leading hand

An experienced worker who leads a small crew during a shift while still working alongside them. A step below a supervisor.

MEM

Mobile equipment maintenance: the ads' name for repairing a mine's trucks, diggers and loaders, as opposed to the fixed plant. MEM jobs usually run on a set roster and want experience on the machines.

Mine manager

The person in charge of running a mine. On some sites this is the top job; on others the mine manager reports to a general manager.

Nipper

An entry-level assistant in an underground mine who hauls and sets up the heavy supplies the drilling crews need, such as rock bolts, steel mesh, pipes and ventilation ducting. Hard physical work in hot, dark tunnels, and a common early step towards operating underground machines.

Offsider

An assistant to a skilled worker. A driller's offsider, for example, helps the driller run the drilling machine.

Read our full guide to FIFO drillers offsider jobs.

Open cut examiner

A role the law requires on Queensland coal mines: a qualified person who inspects open-cut areas for hazards.

Operator

Someone who drives or runs a machine at the mine, such as one of the giant trucks or diggers.

Read our full guide to FIFO rigging and scaffolding jobs.

Pit boss

The supervisor in charge of a crew working in an open-cut mine during a shift.

Registered manager

The person a Western Australian mine must appoint by law to be in charge of the mine and responsible for its safety.

Rigger

A worker who sets up the cables, chains and lifting gear so a crane can lift heavy loads safely. Riggers must hold a dogging licence before they can get a rigging licence, so every rigger can also do a dogman's job.

Service crew

The underground crew that puts in and maintains the pipes, ventilation ducting and power lines that run through the tunnels.

Shift boss

The supervisor in charge of a crew for a whole shift, especially in underground mines. They hand out the day's jobs, keep work on target and sign off permits.

Also called: shiftie.

Shiftie

The supervisor in charge of a crew for a whole shift, especially in underground mines. They hand out the day's jobs, keep work on target and sign off permits.

Also called: shift boss.

Shotfirer

The licensed person who sets and fires the explosives used to break up rock.

Site senior executive

The most senior person on a Queensland mine site, appointed by law to be responsible for everyone's safety.

Also called: SSE.

Sparky

An electrician.

Read our full guide to FIFO electrician jobs.

SSE

Short for site senior executive. The most senior person on a Queensland mine site, appointed by law to be responsible for everyone's safety.

Also called: site senior executive.

Staff

Workers paid a yearly salary rather than by the hour, usually supervisors, engineers and office workers.

Steering wheel attendant

A joking name. A haul truck driver.

Also called: truckie.

Read our full guide to FIFO trade assistant jobs.

Super

Short for superintendent. A senior manager in charge of a whole department, such as mining, maintenance or the processing plant, across every shift.

Also called: superintendent.

Superintendent

A senior manager in charge of a whole department, such as mining, maintenance or the processing plant, across every shift.

Also called: super.

Supervisor

The person in charge of a crew during a shift. They hand out jobs, check work is done safely and report to a superintendent. In underground mines often called a shift boss.

Trade assistant: an assistant to a qualified tradesperson such as an electrician or mechanic. A common first job for people without a trade qualification.

Trainee operator

A beginner being taught to drive mining machines, usually starting on the giant trucks that carry rock.

Truckie

Slang. A haul truck driver.

Also called: steering wheel attendant.

Wages

Workers paid by the hour rather than a yearly salary. Many operators, tradespeople and camp workers are paid this way.

The usual chain of command, from the bottom up: worker, leading hand, supervisor (called a shift boss underground), superintendent, then mine manager or general manager.

A common underground career path: start as an underground truck driver or nipper, then move to service crew, charge-up, bogger operator and finally jumbo operator, the most senior hands-on job underground.

On the mine: machines and places

Bogger

A low-built loader used in underground mines to scoop up rock after it's been blasted loose.

Buggy whip

A tall flag on a flexible pole fixed to utes and four-wheel drives on a mine, so drivers of the giant trucks can see them.

CHPP

Coal handling and preparation plant: the plant at a coal mine that crushes the coal, washes it and sorts it before it's sold.

Decline

The sloping tunnel that vehicles drive down to get into an underground mine.

Digger

A machine with a long arm and bucket that digs rock and loads it into the giant trucks.

Also called: excavator.

Dozer

Short for bulldozer: a machine on tracks that pushes dirt and rock with a big blade on the front.

Drill and blast

The job of drilling holes in rock, filling them with explosives and blasting it into pieces small enough to dig up.

Dump truck

One of the giant trucks that carry rock around the mine. Driving one is a common first job for beginners learning to operate mining machines.

Also called: haul truck.

Excavator

A machine with a long arm and bucket that digs rock and loads it into the giant trucks.

Also called: digger.

Grader

A machine with a long blade underneath that smooths and shapes the mine's dirt roads.

Haul road

The wide dirt roads the mine's giant trucks drive on.

Haul truck

One of the giant trucks that carry rock around the mine. Driving one is a common first job for beginners learning to operate mining machines.

Also called: dump truck.

Read our full guide to FIFO tyre fitter jobs.

Hot seat change

When one machine driver hands over to the next at the end of a shift without switching the machine off, so it never stops working.

High voltage: under Australia's electrical rules, anything over 1,000 volts AC or 1,500 volts DC. A mine's substations and biggest electric machines run on it, and HV switching, turning that power off and on safely, is extra training on top of an electrician's licence.

Jumbo

A drilling machine used in underground mines, with long arms that drill holes in the rock for explosives.

Loader

A machine that scoops material up in a big bucket on the front and tips it into trucks.

Light vehicle: an ordinary ute or four-wheel drive used to get around the mine, as opposed to the giant mining machines.

NPI

Non-process infrastructure: the industry's word for the camp and everything around the plant, as opposed to the plant itself. An NPI job in a trade ad is camp and site maintenance.

Open cut

A mine dug down from the surface in a series of giant steps, leaving a huge open hole.

Also called: open pit.

Open pit

A mine dug down from the surface in a series of giant steps, leaving a huge open hole.

Also called: open cut.

Ore

The rock that contains the valuable mineral the mine is after, such as iron or gold.

OTR tyre

Off-the-road tyre: a tyre made for machines that work off public roads, such as the giant tyres on haul trucks and loaders. OTR tyre fitters change and repair them on site.

Overburden

Rock with nothing valuable in it, which has to be dug out of the way and dumped to reach the valuable rock underneath.

Also called: waste.

Pit

The huge open hole of a mine dug down from the surface. "Working in the pit" means working down in that hole, rather than in the processing plant or workshops.

Portal

The entrance to an underground mine's tunnels.

Processing plant

The part of the mine where the valuable rock is crushed and treated to separate out the mineral the mine sells.

ROM pad

Short for run-of-mine pad: a large flat area where trucks dump the valuable rock before it's fed into the crushing machines.

Tailings

The leftover crushed rock and water once the valuable mineral has been taken out, stored in a large walled pond called a tailings dam.

Underground

A mine where workers reach the rock through tunnels.

Waste

Rock with nothing valuable in it, which has to be dug out of the way and dumped to reach the valuable rock underneath.

Also called: overburden.

Water cart

A truck that sprays water on the haul roads to keep the dust down.

Shutdowns

Shutdowns are one of the most common ways for tradespeople and trade assistants to get mine work, and they come with their own words.

Campaign roster

A one-off roster that lasts only as long as a particular job, such as a shutdown, instead of a regular pattern of days on and off all year.

Critical path

The chain of jobs during a shutdown that takes the longest to finish. If any job on it runs late, the whole plant starts back up late.

Mill reliner

A worker who replaces the heavy steel or rubber linings inside a mill, the giant spinning drum that grinds rock in a processing plant. Usually part of a team called a relining crew.

Outage

A planned period when a mine's processing plant, crusher or other major equipment is switched off completely so it can be repaired and serviced. Crews work around the clock, in 12-hour day and night shifts, until it's done.

Also called: shutdown, shut and turnaround.

Ramp-down

The step-by-step process of safely powering off and emptying a processing plant's equipment before shutdown work starts.

Ramp-up

Bringing a processing plant's equipment back online, step by step, once shutdown work is finished.

Scope of work

The full list of jobs planned for a shutdown or contract.

Also called: SOW.

Shut

Short for shutdown. A planned period when a mine's processing plant, crusher or other major equipment is switched off completely so it can be repaired and serviced. Crews work around the clock, in 12-hour day and night shifts, until it's done.

Also called: shutdown, outage and turnaround.

Shut crew

Extra workers, often casual or contract, hired just for a shutdown, usually for anywhere from a few days to two weeks.

Also called: shut mob and shutdown crew.

Shut mob

Extra workers, often casual or contract, hired just for a shutdown, usually for anywhere from a few days to two weeks.

Also called: shut crew and shutdown crew.

Shut TA

A trade assistant hired for a shutdown, who helps the boilermakers, fitters and electricians by getting tools ready, cleaning parts and moving materials. A common way in for people without a trade.

Read our full guide to FIFO trade assistant jobs.

Shutdown

Also called: shut, outage and turnaround.

Shutdown crew

Extra workers, often casual or contract, hired just for a shutdown, usually for anywhere from a few days to two weeks.

Also called: shut crew and shut mob.

SOW

Short for scope of work. The full list of jobs planned for a shutdown or contract.

Also called: scope of work.

Turnaround (in maintenance)

Also called: shutdown, shut and outage.

Safety words

Safety comes up every shift on a mine, so you'll hear these from your first day.

Confined space

An enclosed area that's hard to get in and out of and may have dangerous air, such as a tank, a chute or the inside of a mill. Going into one needs special training and a permit.

CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: the chest compressions and rescue breaths that keep someone alive until help arrives, taught with first aid. FIFO ads usually want it done in the last 12 months.

D&A testing

Drug and alcohol testing. Mine workers are usually tested before they're hired and then at random while at work.

Danger tag

A red and white tag that a worker fixes, with their own padlock, to a switched-off machine. It shows their name and warns that the machine must not be turned on.

Exclusion zone

An area no one is allowed to enter, such as around a blast or a working machine.

Fatigue

Being so tired that it's unsafe to work. Long shifts make it a real risk, so mines have rules about rest and working hours.

Fire watch

A person whose only job is to watch for fires while someone nearby is welding, cutting or grinding, and to raise the alarm if one starts.

Gas test

Checking the air for poisonous or explosive gases, or too little oxygen, before anyone goes into an enclosed space. Doing it needs training, usually a course called Gas Test Atmospheres (GTA).

GTA

Gas Test Atmospheres: the training course for checking the air in enclosed spaces for poisonous or explosive gases, or too little oxygen.

Hi-vis

High-visibility clothing: bright orange or yellow work clothes with reflective strips, so drivers and machine operators can see you.

Hole watch

A person stationed outside a confined space, such as a tank, to keep track of who's inside, watch for problems and call for help in an emergency.

Hot work

Any work that makes sparks or heat, such as welding, grinding or cutting metal. On a mine it needs a hot work permit first.

Hot work permit

Written permission needed before anyone welds, grinds, cuts metal or does any other work that makes sparks or heat.

Induction

Safety training you must do before you start work at a new mine or work site. Each site has its own.

Isolation

Switching off a machine's power and putting your own padlock on the switch, and usually a danger tag, so no one can start it while you're working on it.

Also called: lockout and LOTO.

JHA

Job hazard analysis. A written plan that breaks a job into steps, lists the dangers in each step, and says how to keep everyone safe.

Also called: JSA.

JSA

Job safety analysis. A written plan that breaks a job into steps, lists the dangers in each step, and says how to keep everyone safe.

Also called: JHA.

Lockout

Switching off a machine's power and putting your own padlock on the switch, and usually a danger tag, so no one can start it while you're working on it.

Also called: isolation and LOTO.

LOTO

Short for lockout tagout. Switching off a machine's power and putting your own padlock on the switch, and usually a danger tag, so no one can start it while you're working on it.

Also called: isolation and lockout.

LTI

Lost time injury: a work injury bad enough that the injured person misses at least one shift. Sites often display how many days they've gone without one.

Near miss

An event that nearly caused an injury but didn't. Workers are expected to report them so the cause can be fixed.

Personal lock

A padlock issued to each worker. Everyone working on a machine fits their own lock to it while it's switched off, and it can't be turned back on until every lock has been removed.

PPE

Personal protective equipment: the safety gear you wear at work, such as a hard hat, bright reflective clothing, steel-capped boots, safety glasses, gloves and earplugs.

Prestart

A short team meeting at the start of each work shift to go over the day's jobs and their dangers.

Also called: toolbox meeting and toolbox talk.

SHEQ

Safety, health, environment and quality: the department, and the adviser's job, that runs a site's safety and environmental systems.

Spotter

A person who watches and guides a driver or machine operator when they can't see well enough on their own.

Take 5

A quick personal safety check before you start a task: stop, look for dangers, and decide how to deal with them. Often done on a small printed card.

Toolbox meeting

A short team meeting at the start of each work shift to go over the day's jobs and their dangers.

Also called: prestart and toolbox talk.

Toolbox talk

A short team meeting at the start of each work shift to go over the day's jobs and their dangers.

Also called: prestart and toolbox meeting.

Working at heights

Any work where you could fall, such as on a ladder, a roof or scaffolding. Employers usually ask for a Working at Heights ticket.

Getting hired and paid

Allowances

Extra money on top of your normal pay, for things such as working in a remote area or living away from home.

ATO

Australian Taxation Office: the federal government's tax office, which runs income tax and super and sets out what workers can and can't claim.

Award

The legal minimum pay and conditions for a type of job in Australia. Mining jobs have their own, the Mining Industry Award.

Casual

A type of employment with a higher hourly rate, but no paid holidays or sick leave, and no guaranteed work.

Casual loading

The extra pay casual workers get on top of the normal hourly rate, to make up for having no paid holidays or sick leave. It's usually 25%.

Day rate

A set amount paid for each day you work, instead of an hourly rate. Common for short-term repair and contract work.

Demob

Short for demobilise. Finishing up on a work site and leaving it.

Also called: demobilise.

Demobilise

Finishing up on a work site and leaving it.

Also called: demob.

Enterprise agreement: a deal on pay and conditions between one company and its workers. By law it must leave workers better off overall than the award, the legal minimum.

Read our full guide to FIFO mental health.

EAP

Employee assistance program: free, confidential counselling that your employer pays for, usually through an outside company. Ask the human resources team or the site medic for the number.

EOI

Expression of interest: telling an employer you'd like to work for them, even when no particular job is advertised.

Flat rate

A single hourly rate that rolls base pay, casual loading and shift allowances into one figure, instead of paying extra separately for overtime or night shifts. Common for casual shutdown work.

HR (human resources)

Human resources: the team that handles hiring, pay questions and staff matters. In a job ad's list of licences, HR means the heavy rigid truck licence instead.

LAFHA

Living-away-from-home allowance: money an employer pays toward the extra costs of living away from your usual home for work. It's taxed as a fringe benefit, through the employer, and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has separate rules for fly-in fly-out and drive-in drive-out workers.