posted by the Epiroc Exploration & OreBody Solutions team
March 12, 2018
Whether you work in diamond drilling or another industry, we all face some misconceptions about our jobs. For me, it appears that when people ask what I do and I tell them I’m a diamond driller, there are always false assumptions and some confusion. Maybe it’s because it is not a well-known industry in general but I find myself repeating the same corrections. In this week’s blog, I thought it would be interesting to look at the most common myths about diamond drilling.
Myth #1: We are drilling for diamonds
This is one of the most common myths and I can understand why. The term “diamond drilling” is misleading in a way, making people believe that we are drilling for diamonds and not that the drilling tools are made of diamonds. If I had a dollar for every person who assumed I was drilling for diamonds, I’d be a rich man.
Myth #2: Diamond drilling is an easy job
I’m not sure why anyone would think that drilling with rods that weigh 52 lbs could ever be easy. Much of the equipment is made with steel and weighs a lot, core weighs a lot, everything you need to carry, like buckets of grease and additives, they weigh a lot. When you calculate that you can pull hundreds of rods in a shift, then that is a lot of weight you are dealing with.
Myth #3: Diamond drilling is a pretty safe job
Tell that to the guy that loses a body part due to the moving parts of machinery, or the parts of equipment that can come crashing down out of an uphole. In diamond drilling, you need to be careful and alert to the possible dangers that are around you. A diamond drill is like the race car of drills and you need to respect the power behind it.
Myth #4: Anyone can be a diamond driller
You get this belief with a lot of what are considered physical jobs. Because they are physical they must not require a lot of brain power. However, to last in this industry you need to be technically inclined in order to understand machinery and how parts work together. There a lot of moving pieces to a drill rig, a head assembly etc. Knowing what each part does and how it fits into the big picture is required.
Myth #5: Diamond drilling is a blue collar job so you can’t make that much money
When you start off, maybe you can’t make a ton of money, but a driller makes money when he is putting rock in the box. Once you learn the ropes, and move from being a helper to a driller, you can make a comfortable living. To do that though, you need to understand the mechanics of a drill rig (see the myth above) and be able to fix issues that could slow down production. You need to be open to new procedures, processes and products that can help you improve your performance.
My team and I are all about finding new ways to improve drilling performance, whether it be visiting a drill site to analyze a problem or suggesting new products. We know it’s a tough job and we try to make it easier. Check out our resources or contact our team for technical support.
