A salt miner is someone who works with equipment that extracts salt from underground and surface deposits. This includes a wide range of salt grades, from culinary and table salt to deicing and other applications. Working in salt production, like other mining jobs, can be dangerous due to heavy equipment, harsh working conditions, and long hours. Heavy equipment operators, manual laborers, engineers, and administrative support staff are all common candidates for jobs in this field.
Miners with picks and other tools were sent underground with picks and other tools to remove salt in the past. Many salt mines today employ a solution extraction technique, in which water is injected into a deposit, pumped to the surface, and processed to extract the salt. The miners are in charge of the process’s equipment and perform quality and safety checks on a regular basis. It may be necessary to drill new boreholes for exploration or develop new extraction sites on a regular basis.
Surface deposits, such as natural salt flats or man-made salt deposits created moving heavily briny water through a series of evaporation ponds, are also available to salt miners. A salt miner can work hand to extract usable salt in these locations, or they can operate the evaporation and salt collection equipment. Manual labor is more common in developing countries because it is less expensive than equipment, and importing equipment and parts for maintenance and repairs may be difficult.
Working as a salt miner usually necessitates a high level of physical fitness. Work with heavy tools and containers, as well as extensive bending and lifting, may be required. To handle loading trucks, diggers, and other tools used on the job, a heavy equipment operator certificate may be required. Safety training and certifications may be required for mine workers as part of a workplace safety program designed to reduce the risk of injuries and other problems on the job.
In this field, there is a lot of room for advancement. A salt miner may be able to advance to a supervisor position at a large facility, with better pay and benefits. Senior positions are scarce in smaller salt mines, particularly those that rely heavily on manual labor. Depending on needs and the ability to relocate for job opportunities, a salt miner with experience may consider transferring to another facility where there may be more room for acquired skills.