The Life of a Miner

Sofía Meladze 2º A E.S.O CMP

The Life of a Miner

Since the beginning of civilization people have used materials taken from the earth's surface to manufacture tools and weapons.

The History of the Mines

The oldest mine that has archaeological evidence is the Lion's Cave in Swaziland, which is 43,000 years old (Paleolithic).

The History of the Mines

The Oldest Mines in the World

• They work in darkness without seeing sunlight for long hours.
• His work is dirty, the mineral dust permeates the clothes, hair and skin of the workers.
• It requires an important physical effort.
• They risk their health.
• Forced postures (travel long inclined or kneeling distances)
• Sometimes they are victims of landslides or rockfalls.
• When working with sharp tools, they are exposed to cuts and sometimes amputations.
• After long years of work they may suffer from specific diseases such as Silicosis or Mesothelioma, which can lead to death.

The work of a miner inside the mine is very hard:

Oleg Petrov is a ukranian miner, who since he was 22 years old works in a Dnepropetrovsk Mine.

After arriving at the mine, workers leave their personal items in a "clean" room. Then, in one underwear, they go through the long and cold corridor to the “dirty” one - this is where the work uniform is stored.

The Life of a Ukrainian miner

Miners descend into the mine in the "crate". This is the name of the cabin, which lowers and raises the workers from the depths.

Instead of socks, miners wear footcloths. "The wet footcloth can be tied to the dry side, they can be tightly tied, and the socks are constantly slipping."

Oleg works at a depth of 470 meters and earns 380 dollars a month. He says the worst of his job is broken health. Moisture and weight are felt in the back, arms and legs.