Preparing the site office before an utilization study
We ask for a corner of the site office, not a presentation theatre. A table for the shift sheets, a wall for the pit map, and tea for the people who will sit with us is enough. If the map is out of date, say so; we would rather draw the new haul road in pencil than chart the old one.
Name one contact who can walk us to the workshop, the crusher, and the face. Without that person, we spend the first day finding gates. With them, we spend it watching trucks.
Tell the crews why we are there. If operators think we are counting mistakes for discipline, the sheets go quiet. If they know we are charting waits so the road or the crusher can be discussed, they usually add the notes we need. That introduction is the superintendent’s job; we will not make it for you over a loudspeaker.