Inside a day at Hermosa with Geotechnical Engineer Phil Stevens

As a Geotechnical Engineer at Hermosa, Phil is part of the team that assesses rock conditions and designs the ground support that keeps the rock stable, underground and on the surface at Hermosa. His work also helps shape the life-of-mine infrastructure being built.

His day starts with the bus ride to site and a handover from the night shift. At 6:20am the Geotechnical team meets for a stretch, a safety share, a check-in and a review of the day's priorities, before joining the site-wide meeting at 7:00am.

From there, Phil might gear up and head underground to inspect a fresh excavation, measuring the rock against a globally recognised classification system and grading it from good to very poor. Each grade informs a specific ground support design. The poorer the rock, the more conservative the support.

Whether he's underground or back on surface, Phil spends much of his day building a detailed understanding of the ground conditions. That can mean mapping newly exposed rock, using LiDAR to create precise 3D models, testing concrete and shotcrete samples in the lab, or analysing where blocks of rock could slip or fall before work begins.

"I find myself interacting with many different teams and contractors, from miners at the face to higher-level managers. I'm fortunate to be able to create meaningful interactions that positively impact the safety and wellbeing of my coworkers," Phil says.

"I remind myself that people's lives depend on and trust the designs and calls my team makes about the ground. With every decision comes careful deliberation between myself, my team and other experienced workers to reach a feasible and effective solution."

At a project still under construction, Phil's work goes beyond today's shift. It helps create the foundations for a mine designed to operate safely and sustainably for generations.

Watch a day in the life with Phil on Instagram.