Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underground Safety Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking an experienced Underground Safety Specialist to lead and drive safety performance for underground mining operations. This role is responsible for developing, implementing and continuously improving underground-specific safety systems — including ground control, ventilation monitoring, gas management, confined space entry, rescue readiness, contractor safety, frontline coaching and regulatory compliance (MSHA/OSHA/Provincial regulators). The ideal candidate combines practical underground experience with strong incident investigation, risk assessment and training capabilities to reduce incidents, protect people and enable safe production.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Underground Safety Technician / Safety Coordinator with 1–3 years of site experience
Underground Miner or Shift Supervisor transitioning into HSE
Occupational Health & Safety Technician with mining exposure

Advancement To:

Senior Underground Safety Specialist / HSE Supervisor
Mine Safety Manager / HSE Manager (Underground Operations)
Regional Safety Lead / Director of Safety & Sustainability

Lateral Moves:

Environmental & Permitting Specialist (mine operations)
Training Manager (operations, emergency response)
Risk and Compliance Manager (corporate HSE)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, implement and manage the site underground safety program, policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) focusing on ground control, ventilation, gas monitoring, explosives handling, and confined space entry to ensure safe, compliant underground operations.
Lead regular underground safety inspections and audits (daily face checks, weekly shaft/raise audits, monthly contractor audits) and produce actionable reports with timelines to close hazards, corrective actions and preventative measures.
Conduct comprehensive risk assessments and Job Hazard Analyses (JHAs/JSA) for new mining methods, development headings, maintenance tasks and non-routine activities; develop mitigation plans and monitor effectiveness.
Oversee underground ventilation and air quality programs including design reviews, continuous gas monitoring systems (CH4, CO, O2), calibration schedules, corrective ventilation adjustments and reporting to regulatory agencies.
Act as the incident commander or key member of the incident response team for underground emergencies, coordinate mine rescue and evacuation, facilitate multi-agency response and lead post-incident debriefs to drive lessons learned.
Lead incident and near-miss investigations using root cause analysis methodologies (5 Whys, RCA), prepare formal investigation reports, recommend corrective actions and follow through on implementation and verification.
Develop, schedule and deliver targeted safety training and competency assessment programs for miners, supervisors and contractors: mine rescue, confined space entry, gas monitoring, ground control awareness, first aid, and emergency response simulations.
Maintain and administrate underground permits and safe work systems including hot work permits, confined space entry permits, lock-out/tag-out, isolation procedures and supervisor sign-offs to ensure procedural compliance.
Implement and supervise effective ground control programs (roof support installation, bolting standards, cribbing, meshing), perform ground condition mapping and ensure application of engineering controls and remediation.
Manage and coordinate mine rescue teams: recruit, train, certify, schedule regular exercises, maintain rescue equipment readiness and ensure compliance with regulatory rescue capabilities and response times.
Monitor and report key safety performance indicators (TRIF, LTIF, near-miss reporting rates, training completion, audit scores), use data to identify trends, drive continuous improvement and present results to operations leadership.
Perform contractor pre-qualification, site orientation and ongoing oversight for all underground contractors; ensure contractor compliance with site HSE requirements and integrate them into incident reporting and training.
Lead the development, implementation and auditing of confined space entry programs, ensuring proper atmospheric testing, ventilation, standby personnel and rescue procedures are in place and enforced.
Provide technical input and participate in design and pre-production reviews for capital and development projects to identify and mitigate underground safety risks during planning and startup phases.
Manage PPE and safety equipment programs underground: selection, fit-testing, maintenance schedules, respirator and SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) programs and life-cycle tracking of critical gear.
Collaborate with geology, ground control engineers and production supervisors to anticipate ground hazards, evaluate support designs and recommend operational adjustments to maintain ground stability and worker safety.
Conduct behavioural-based safety coaching and frontline safety leadership initiatives to influence safe work behaviours, lead toolbox talks and mentor supervisors on positive reinforcement and hazard recognition.
Maintain regulatory reporting and compliance documentation for MSHA/OSHA/Provincial inspectors, prepare for regulatory inspections, coordinate responses to citations and implement corrective action plans.
Support the implementation and maintenance of safety management systems (ISO 45001 / SMS concepts), contribute to policy development, gap analyses and integration of underground-specific processes.
Oversee explosive and blasting safety underground where applicable: ensure storage, transport, handling, and controlled use of explosives comply with regulatory and site procedures.
Manage emergency drill planning, scenario design and post-drill evaluation to validate emergency procedures, communications, staging areas, and readiness of rescue resources across shifts.
Evaluate, select and manage safety technology and monitoring systems (real-time gas monitors, proximity detection systems, location tracking, incident reporting platforms) to enhance underground situational awareness and response.

Secondary Functions

Provide subject matter expertise to mine planning and engineering teams during mine design reviews and production planning to ensure practical safety controls are included.
Support ergonomic and occupational hygiene assessments underground — including noise, dust, respirable crystalline silica monitoring and heat stress controls — and recommend abatement measures.
Assist in budget forecasting for underground safety programs (training, PPE, monitoring equipment, rescue gear) and track expenditures against plan.
Participate in cross-functional committees (operations, maintenance, environment) to integrate safety considerations across the lifecycle of underground work.
Prepare and deliver safety communications and engagement campaigns to promote safety culture across shifts and sites, including multilingual content where required.
Support corporate HSE initiatives by providing field verification, lessons learned, best-practice roll-out and participation in safety system upgrades.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Underground Mine Safety Management — proven experience developing and managing underground-specific safety programs, SOPs and permit systems optimized for ground control and ventilation safety.
Regulatory Compliance — working knowledge of MSHA/OSHA and relevant provincial/state mining regulations, reporting obligations and inspection processes.
Incident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis — experienced with formal investigation processes (5 Whys, RCA, TapRoot), writing detailed reports and delivering corrective action plans.
Emergency Response & Mine Rescue — certified and trained in mine rescue coordination, emergency command procedures, rescue equipment/spec maintenance and drill facilitation.
Ventilation & Gas Monitoring — practical skills with ventilation design, airflow measurement, interpretation of continuous gas monitor data (CH4, CO, O2), and calibration procedures.
Ground Control & Geotechnical Awareness — understanding of ground support systems (roof bolts, mesh, shotcrete), rib/face inspection protocols and risk mitigation for rockfall hazards.
Confined Space and Permit-to-Work Systems — authoring and enforcing confined space programs, atmospheric testing procedures and permit-to-work controls.
Safety Technology & Monitoring Tools — familiarity with RTLS, proximity detection, gas detection platforms, incident management software and mobile reporting apps.
Training Development & Competency Assessment — ability to design, deliver and evaluate competency-based training (mine rescue, JHAs, emergency response).
Data Analysis & KPI Reporting — experience analyzing safety data, creating dashboards and translating metrics into improvement actions using Excel, Power BI or similar.
Explosives & Blasting Safety (where applicable) — knowledge of explosive handling, storage requirements and blast area controls.
Occupational Hygiene Fundamentals — experience coordinating dust, silica and noise monitoring programs and interpreting results to recommend controls.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and coaching skills — ability to influence frontline supervisors and crews, deliver effective toolbox talks and drive a positive safety culture underground.
Effective communicator — clear, concise reporting and ability to present technical safety information to operational, technical and executive stakeholders.
Problem solving and decision making — pragmatic and decisive in high-pressure emergency situations while maintaining regulatory compliance.
Collaboration and stakeholder management — builds trusted relationships with operations, maintenance, engineering and contractors to enable safe production.
Attention to detail and documentation discipline — meticulous record-keeping for permits, audits, inspections and regulatory submissions.
Training and mentoring — patient and practiced in developing competency and confidence in new or seasonal underground workers.
Adaptability and resilience — able to work rotating shifts, underground environments and respond to non-routine events with composure.
Cultural sensitivity and inclusion — able to adapt communication and training for diverse, multilingual crews.

(Combined hard and soft skills above include 15+ distinct skills commonly requested in industry job postings.)

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent with technical mine training and several years of progressive underground mine safety experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Mining Engineering, Occupational Health & Safety, Industrial Hygiene, or a related technical field.
Post-secondary diploma in Mine Technology or equivalent plus safety-specific certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mining Engineering
Occupational Health & Safety (OHS)
Industrial Hygiene / Environmental Health
Geotechnical or Civil Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–10+ years of underground mining experience with at least 2–5 years in a dedicated safety role supporting underground operations.

Preferred:

5+ years as an Underground Safety Specialist, Mine Safety Officer, or comparable role with demonstrated incident investigation, emergency response coordination, ventilation and ground control experience.
Experience supervising rescue teams, delivering competency-based underground training and leading regulatory inspections.

Certifications and licenses commonly required or preferred:

MSHA Part 48 or equivalent regulatory certification (where applicable)
Mine Rescue / Confined Space Rescue Certification
First Aid / CPR / Advanced Life Support
NEBOSH General Certificate or Diploma, IOSH or national OHS certifications
WHMIS / Hazard Communication
Respirator Fit Testing (where applicable)
ISO 45001 auditor/lead implementer (preferred)