Unearthing global differences and the seams that unite: Part 1

While global experience can reveal contrasts in earth structures, mining processes, cultures, language and people, David Lindsay says there is plenty of common ground across geotechnical engineering, no matter where you work around the world.

Part one

David Lindsay’s passport reflects a well-travelled life and career to date. From a childhood spent in Kenya to working on Middle and Far East seismic field crews, to years spent in the opencast coal mines of the UK and US, David has gathered extensive global experience over the past 35 years.

David, who joined Cartledge Mining & Geotechnics as Principal Geotechnical Engineer in 2022, is now rounding out his veritable world tour of mining in Australia. Or, more specifically, the coal mines of Central Queensland.

Brisbane-based David says his interest in the natural earth began early.

“I was brought up in Kenya until my late teens and was always fascinated by rocks, minerals and the natural world around me. It’s what led me initially into geophysics and seismology,” David says.

After his early career in seismic, working on remote field crews, the next natural step was mining geology, and then into geotechnical engineering.

“My geophysics background had already given me a unique perspective of what lies in the ground,” David says. “When you’re exploring for oil, you are looking for structures and you’ve got to try and recognise them from seismic data. Whereas with mining, you’re actually looking directly at what’s in the ground, you’re opening it up and you’re seeing it right there in front of you.

“But it’s complex and you can look at a high wall face and what you see, it’s two dimensional, but then if you open up a side slope then you see another dimension to it. Sometimes it’s very difficult to tie the two together. For me, it’s like a puzzle, but one that feeds my curiosity, inquisitiveness, and mathematical view on work and life.”

Same, but different

David’s work has taken him to opencast mines in the UK and the US – from Kentucky to Pennsylvania; followed by a stint in quarries in the UK – and he says there are obvious distinctions in people, culture and weather.

But in terms of work, while the ground structures of different locations may change, and the approach must accommodate this, the complexity of issues remains the same.

“Being able to understand what’s in the ground, how to deal with that and make the right decisions, it is the same, no matter where in the world you are,” he says.

“When we dig into the ground, how does the ground behave in response? It’s important to understand what that means in terms of stability and production efficiency. If you’ve got coal in the ground, how are you going to mine it? And how are you going to keep the pit stable? It all depends on the geology.”

David says since coming to Australia he has been astounded by the vastness of the landscape.

“The scale of the operations in Australia is just so different,” he says. “It’s so much bigger than in the UK, and the geology is different. But what I see in terms of how the ground behaves, that does not change. Here there are structures the UK doesn’t have, but the UK has more complex structures in a different way. The overall result is essentially the same.”

Mining operations in Australia are also on a larger scale, he says.

“There is a different scale of kit, the trucks are way bigger than in the UK. The diggers are, too, as well as the size of the pits.

“Even the climate is incredibly different. Man, the summer!”

The people factor

Establishing relationships with new people in new cultures, in different ways, can be difficult but incredibly enjoyable, David says.

“No matter where I have worked, building up teamwork is always crucial. If you don’t function as a team, you might as well go home,” he says.

“But building relationships can be tricky because you’ve got to be able to understand each other. Added to which Australia has its own unique terminology, which I have experienced first-hand.

“There have been times on site when people are talking to me about something they’re looking at, talking about ‘witches’ hats’. And I’ll say, ‘what are you on about?’ And then I see the cones and think, ‘Oh, of course, cones, witches’ hats. Fine’.”

Not to mention the nuances of break time – when “crib” becomes a name for grabbing a bite, not somewhere a baby sleeps.

For geotechnical engineers, coming in as an “outsider” or contractor makes it even more crucial to form solid relationships, based on trust and respect, David says.

“It’s unavoidable that there is a tension between geotechnical engineering and mining – we each have our goals and methods of operation. And within the mining context, we have to face up to and deal with that. Mining companies are there to make money. As geotechnical engineers, we are there to help them do that safely.

“For me, the real business is done when I’m out on the site standing next to the mining superintendent, to the OCE, the supervisors and the Geos, and the digger operators as well. And we’re talking it through, giving each other the benefit of what we see, what we know, and what we deem the right approach.

“But there is no easy answer to any one particular problem. For example, at one mine, they want to be able to operate in a certain part of the pit, but to do that efficiently, they have to be able to mine it in a certain way.

“There are different ways that they could mine it. All of them carry risks, both geotechnical and business related. Ultimately, we must preserve risk. We must protect our workforce. We cannot allow people to be hurt, or worse. So, it’s a case of balancing the risks and assessing what are the potential consequences.”

Read part two of David’s story here.