Andres Castilla

4.20 AM

Time to wake up, have a quick stretch, get ready, walk to the mess, and pick up some food for the day.

4.40 AM

The car will be waiting at the carpark ready for a pre-start check, after the pre-start is done, I usually catch up with some colleagues and head directly to the drill & blast office.

5.00 AM

Blow in the breatho, sign the book and check out whether there is any information passed from the nightshift operators or if there is any situation with the blast controller that requires attention (when there is any production firing ongoing).

5.15 AM

Time to go to our production meeting where the shift boss and foreman give us a quick report of the overnight performance and what is needed from the engineering teams for the next 12 hours.

5.30 AM

Time to get a good coffee and update the production tracker for the blasting and drill sites.

6.00 AM

Make a quick list of requirements for the day and forms that need to be handed out to the shift boss, survey and manager before their underground run.

6.15 AM

I head to the muster room for the underground pre-start meeting where we get an overview of all the activities that will be held underground and the potential hazards and risk management plans for the day. This is one of the most important meetings of the day because you will know where to and where not to go in the mine. It also gives you the chance to say hello to the crews that you will work with during the day!

6.30 AM

Time to go to the PSI meeting with the AGAA engineers. In here we generally talk about what each department will be doing during the day and any safety hazards from the previous 24 hours. Usually, the meeting commences with a safety share from any person in the meeting, I love to share mine on Sundays, so I can show what I learnt during the Saturday training sessions of ERT. This time, we were practicing some rescue at heights so there was a very good discussion regarding procedures, comms and equipment when working at heights.

7.00 AM

Finally, time to split the work in the office. I sit down with the other members of the team and define which tasks are required and in which priority sequence they will be approached so we can divide them. Usually, we also check with the manager and foreman for any requirement that could have been missed during the rush hour. 

7.15 AM

I send the survey tasks for the day, and the locations for them. Then, I sit down with the charge up crew and hand over the paperwork. After that, it’s time to get some engineering magic done! I commence a design that will be coming up by the end of the week by checking the location and level plan, I prefer to start with designs early in the morning given that it takes between one and two days to get final approval, so the earlier I draft it, the earlier it goes out on the roll!

Not all designs are so complex that it will take you a whole day to do, but at least it will take you a few hours, so if you are like me “a big fan of coffee”, go and grab a hot one and get your hands on!

There are multiple tools that you will require, but generally it all starts with Deswik. I know it sounds scary but it doesn’t need to be, you will get very good at it in no time!

7.45 AM

Last meeting of the morning, get a quick stretch, stop your work, and make your way to the meeting room for the variance report meeting. In this one, we will meet with all the contractors and discuss any variance from the plan in the past 24 hours and any potential variance in the next 24 hour plan, it is always good to be ready!

8.00 AM

Breakfast time!!! I don’t really like to eat so early, so I always wait for all the morning meetings to be completed to enjoy my food before going back to work.

11.00 AM

Time for an underground inspection!!

I like to do my inspections about this time because any job given to the crews has been already started and they are a good way through them, so I can take clear photos of what is going on with the plans. Commonly I start by checking all the production drill sites and finalising with the charge up sites. Never forget to bring all your PPE specially hearing protection, drill sites can be very noisy.

1.00 PM

Once we are back from underground, we evaluate how the day plan is going along (just in case we need to do something else), so I call the operators and give additional instructions for any concern they mentioned during the inspection, based on the photos taken and all the data available in the office that we cannot review UG.

2.00 PM

Lunch Time!

3.00 PM

We take another stretch! The day goes quickly, and the body feels it. Also, it is time for a check of what will be the night shift plan, so the team gather to take action on the paperwork to be ready before the day finishes.

4.45 PM

Time for the final meeting of the day!!

As the day is finishing, the night shift is about to start so we head to the muster room for the evening production meeting to check how we did today.

5.00 PM

Time to catch up with the night shift operators and give some instructions for the night!

5.15 PM

We quickly review if everything is ready to go and that any instruction has been properly understood for the activities at night.

5.30PM

Time to pack up the lunch boxes, get ready and head back to camp, I like to go back at this time so I can get to the gym early.

5.40PM

Back at camp, I isolate the car and go back to my room to get changed for a good gym session!

7.00 PM

From the gym to the mess, it is always good to have some good food after some exercise. Perfect timing to enjoy the meal and catch up with the news on my phone.

7.30 PM

Back to my room, I prepare a hot tea. Time to call my family for a night chat, this is the perfect time of the day to do so, there were so many good things happening that I am excited to tell my family about…

8.15 PM

Ready for a shower, brush my teeth and get the bed ready.

8.30 PM

Time to sleep…

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