| Rod Mills from Joy Mining Machinery gives the Green River High students a tour of the Joy plant near Wellington. The students look at the mining machinery on site awaiting repair. |
Green River High School attends an Energy Job Opportunities Tour sponsored by the College of Eastern Utah/ Western Energy Training Center. Grades 7-12th were represented along with faculty and staff making a total of 120 people in the group. This tour was setup to give these students a first hand look at the various jobs in the energy industry.
The topics covered were safety on the job, type of jobs, skills needed for the job and salaries. They toured Joy Manufacturing, Savage Services Coal Terminal, and the PaciCorp Carbon Power Plant. They also visited the Western Energy Training Center where they had the opportunity to talk with representatives from WETC, the Department of Work Force Services, the Division of Rehabilitation Services, SOS Staffing, CEU, Career and Volunteer Services, Career and Technical Education and Admissions and Scholarships.
Energy Jobs:
Joy Manufacturing:
They have jobs in the areas of safety, inspectors, electricians, hydraulics, engineering, welding, machine operators, warehouse, fabricators, computerized drafting, sales, office, management, general labor etc.
Savage Services Coal Terminal:
They have jobs in the areas of safety, mechanics, welders, machine operators, truck drivers, unit train loaders, scales operators, office, accounting, management, general labor etc.
PacifiCorp: Carbon Power Plant
They have jobs in the areas of safety, board operators, technicians, electricians, mechanics, welders, pipe fitters, truck drivers, security, office, scales operator, management, engineering, planning, communications, general labor, etc.
Joy Manufacturing Tour:
| Joy Mining employees move equipment into place. |
Rod Mills from Joy greeted the tour and welcomed them into the lunchroom of the facility. The students were shown a safety video. The regular work of the shop continued on around the students as they toured the inside and outside of the plant.
Mills explained that their facility rebuilds mining equipment and sells parts for underground mining equipment. They are one of the world’s leading underground mining equipment suppliers, with mining equipment being sold around the world in Mexico, United States, United Kingdom, China, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Australia and Slovenia.
The underground mining equipment is used for other mining besides coal including trona, salt, gypsum and others. The company produces a wide variety of underground coal mining equipment including roof support systems, longwall systems, continuous mining and haulage equipment.
Mills pointed out that safety is a main concern of theirs for the employees repairing mine equipment. Appropriate personal protective equipment is required in all areas of the shop. Mills mentioned the wages can vary from $12-$20 an hour depending on the employees grade and skills level. They have jobs in the areas of inspectors, electricians, hydraulics, engineering, welding, machine operators, warehouse, fabricators, computerized drafting, sales, general labor etc.
Mills said they disassemble machines and completely overhaul the electrical, mechanical and hydraulic systems. Some of the machinery requires 1,200 man hours from start to finish for a complete overhaul.
Joy will train their own employees if trained workers aren’t available.
Mills told students that women work in all areas of their facility as well as men. They have available positions on a regular basis. Sometimes new workers are hired and sometimes the workers are promoted from within the company and then entry level workers are hired to take their place. Five-six new people have been hired in the last 45 days.
Mills showed the students the hydraulic assembly room. The students toured the warehouse where Ed Liin is the supervisor. It is his job to supply parts to the mine as well as to the shop for the equipment repairs. Linn said he has 9,000 parts on the shelf at any given time.
Everyone in the facility is certified to operate a fork lift and they have been trained on it.
Mills told the students of the mechanical skills required for some of the jobs at Joy. They can be learned at a vocational college or sometimes in on the job training or an apprenticeship. The mechanics must know how to put together all the parts for the various mining machinery.
Joy employs 100 people between the shop and the warehouse and 30 people in the offices and sales people. Those people in the sales group help the mines with creating the specifications for the machines they need.
No two mines have the same requirements. The equipment is very site specific and adjusted according to the needs of each mine.
Mills said that 18 is the minimum age requirement for their entry level positions. The work they do is very important. Joy builds equipment to last and perform under the tough conditions of mining.
Mills explained the benefits their workers enjoy including dental, medical and vision.
Mills mentioned new technology they are working on for the mining industry which includes remote capabilities for the long wall mining.
Operators would control the coal cutting machines from a remote-distant location, eventually from outside the mine itself. This would help with safety to take the miners away from the face where the coal cutting is taking place. The machine would be directed remotely using cameras to guide the operator in running the machine.
| The Savage Coal Services facility on Ridge Road was part of the tour for Green River students. |
Savage Services Tour:
The students toured the facility going from one coal handling facility to the next where millions of tons of coal are stored and ready for shipment. Bryant Hansen and Bob Mills gave the drive through tour and Boyd Rhodes and David Sorrells talked about what it takes to work at Savage. Jobs can range from $13-$20 an hour depending on the training and skills for the job. They told the students that they needed to be drug free, be to work on time, follow all safety rules, and gain the training and skills to do the job.
Savage handles more than 6 million tons of coal per year having it hauled in by large trucks, they handle between 500-600 trucks a day. Each truck hauls around 40 tons. They also load 50-55 unit trains per month. Unit trains are made up of between 100-110 rail cars and each car holds 100 tons.
PacifiCorp Carbon Power Plant Tour:
Shawn Powell handed out to each student a layout of a power plant and went though the process in operating a power plant. He started with coal handling and how this fuel goes into a plant, then to the boiler where it creates steam, the steam then turns the turbine and the turbine turns the generator that generates electricity. It was also discussed about the economics coal provides us with electricity which runs everything.
The students learned about how these companies work together to provide us with a high standard of living.
Coal is used to run the power plant which generates electricity that runs the mining equipment that mines the coal.
Joy manufacturing provides the mining equipment to mine the coal but the equipment would not operate with out electricity.
Savage Services could not move the coal without the electricity to operate the fuel pumps that pump diesel into the fuel tanks to operate their trucks. It all boils down to the use of coal.
Look at all the jobs that are available because of this very valuable resource.
This ended the tour and the students returned to Green River where each student was required to complete a report on the tour and what jobs they felt would be best for them.