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A typical shift

Line up for the cage before 6am, safety meeting, then the ride down. At the heading you scale loose rock, check ground support, then the cycle: drill the face, load explosives, blast at shift end, and next shift mucks out the broken rock and bolts the roof. Lunch in a refuge station. It is warm, wet, loud and dark except for your headlamp. Up on the cage 11 or 12 hours later, shower, sleep, repeat.