B
BIBO
Bus in, bus out. Workers are bussed to the mine from a nearby town for each shift or roster block instead of flying in. It is the road version of FIFO.
See: FIFO work explained
Bogger
Slang for an underground loader, the machine that scoops broken rock and hauls it to a truck or tip point. The formal name is a load-haul-dump machine, or LHD.
C
Camp
The accommodation village next to a remote mine, with rooms (dongas), a mess for meals, and usually a gym and recreation areas. FIFO employers commonly provide the room and meals while you are on roster.
See: FIFO work explained
Coal Mine Workers' Health Scheme
The Queensland health assessment scheme for coal mine workers, formerly known as the coal board medical. Queensland coal mine work is tied to this scheme, so check the current rules before you book anything.
See: Coal board medical guide. Source: Queensland Government: coal workers' health
Confined space
An enclosed or partly enclosed space, such as a tank, vessel or pit, that is not designed for people to stay in and may have a dangerous atmosphere or a risk of engulfment. Entry normally needs a permit and trained people.
See: Confined space training. Source: WorkSafe WA: confined spaces
Crib
Miners' slang for the short break to eat or have a smoke, and also for the meal itself. It is not the baby's crib or a crib wall in construction.
Crib room
The lunchroom on a mine site, a clean area set aside for crews to eat and take their breaks. The word comes from the mining sense of crib (the meal or break), not from anything to do with babies or hotels. Where the word first came from is not settled.
D
D&A test
A drug and alcohol test. Many sites test at induction and also test at random or after an incident. Each site has its own policy, so read it before you start.
Decline
A sloping tunnel that vehicles drive down to reach the working levels of an underground mine.
DIDO
Drive in, drive out. Workers drive to a remote site for their roster block instead of flying. The 2013 federal parliamentary inquiry treated FIFO and DIDO together as long-distance commuting where workers cannot return home at the end of a shift.
See: FIFO work explained. Source: House of Representatives inquiry into FIFO and DIDO work
Dogman
A worker who slings loads and directs a crane operator who cannot see the load. The matching ticket is the dogging high risk work licence, class DG. Also called a dogger.
See: High risk work licence guide. Source: WorkSafe WA: high risk work licence classes
Donga
The private room you sleep in at a FIFO camp. Modern ones are typically a single room with its own bathroom.
See: FIFO work explained
Dozer
A bulldozer: a tracked machine with a front blade, used to push and spread material and to clear and shape ground.
Dry camp
A camp or site where alcohol is not allowed. Whether a camp is dry, and what the penalty is for breaking the rule, depends on the operator.
E
Excavator
A tracked digging machine with a boom, arm and bucket. In most states an excavator does not need a high risk work licence, but sites usually ask for competency evidence.
F
FIFO
Fly in, fly out. You fly to a remote site for a block of days, live in camp, then fly home for a block of days off. Roster lengths vary widely by employer and site.
See: FIFO work explained. Source: House of Representatives inquiry into FIFO and DIDO work
G
Geo
Short for geologist. Site geos map the rock, plan drilling and help decide what is ore and what is waste.
Grader
A machine with a long blade between the axles, used to level and maintain haul roads and other surfaces.
Ground support
The steel, mesh, bolts and other fixings that hold up the walls and roof of an underground opening so the rock stays where it is.
H
Haul road
The wide, maintained road that haul trucks use to carry ore and waste between the pit and the dump or processing plant.
Haul truck
A very large off-highway truck that carries ore and waste rock around a mine. Also called a dump truck. Operators usually need a site VOC.
High risk work licence (HRWL)
A national licence class issued by the state regulator for certain high risk tasks, such as dogging, rigging, forklifts and cranes. People often call it a ticket. It is class-specific and has to be renewed.
See: High risk work licence guide. Source: SafeWork NSW: high risk work licences
Hi-vis
High-visibility clothing, such as a bright vest or shirt with reflective tape. It is part of the standard PPE on site.
I
Induction
The safety briefing and assessment you complete before you are allowed on a site. Sites run their own, and some also expect a general induction card such as Standard 11 or a white card.
See: Standard 11 guide, White card
Isolation (lockout)
Making equipment safe to work on by cutting off and locking out its energy sources, such as electrical, hydraulic or stored energy, and then testing that it is dead. Often called lockout tagout.
J
JSA
Job safety analysis. A written breakdown of a job into steps, with the hazards and controls for each. It is an industry term with no statutory definition.
See: Free JSA template
Jumbo
An underground drill rig that drills the holes for blasting or for ground support.
L
Light vehicle
A ute or four-wheel drive used to move around a site, as opposed to heavy mining equipment. Sites usually have strict rules for light vehicles, such as flags, radios and who has right of way.
M
MARCSTA
The Mining and Resource Contractors Safety Training Association. A group of contracting companies set it up to develop a general safety induction for mining contractors in Western Australia. Whether a particular site accepts a MARCSTA card today is something to confirm with that site.
Source: AusIMM: general safety inductions for the mining industry (PacRim 99)
Muster point
The marked place where everyone gathers in an emergency so they can be counted. You are shown yours at induction.
N
Nipper
A job title in underground mines, usually an entry-level role. Job ads describe a nipper helping production and development crews by moving materials and supplies, doing pre-start checks and housekeeping, and setting up signs and barricades. It is a role name used by employers, not a legal position.
Source: Evolution Mining: entry level underground nipper (job ad)
O
Offsider
An assistant who works alongside a more experienced operator or tradesperson, doing the support jobs and learning the work.
Open cut
A mine worked from the surface in a big pit, as opposed to underground. Also called open pit, or an open cut mine.
Ore
Rock that holds enough of the wanted mineral to be worth mining and processing.
Overburden
The soil and rock that lies on top of an ore body or coal seam and has to be removed to reach it.
P
Permit to work
A written authorisation from the site for a specific high-risk job, such as hot work, confined space entry or work on isolated plant. It states the conditions the work must follow.
PPE
Personal protective equipment: boots, hard hat, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hi-vis and anything else the task needs. Many FIFO employers supply it.
Pre-start
The check you do on a vehicle or machine before you use it on a shift, to find faults before they cause a problem. Defects are reported and the machine may be taken out of service.
Processing plant
The facility where mined rock is crushed and treated to separate the valuable mineral from the waste.
R
Rigger
A worker who sets up and checks the rigging for lifting loads. Rigging has basic, intermediate and advanced high risk work licence classes, and you need a dogging licence first.
See: High risk work licence guide. Source: WorkSafe WA: high risk work licence classes
ROM (run of mine)
Ore as it comes out of the pit or underground, before any crushing or processing. The ROM pad is where trucks tip it.
Roster
Your pattern of days on site and days off. Names give days on first, then days off, so 2:1 usually means two weeks on and one week off, and 8:6 means eight days on and six off. Every employer sets its own.
See: FIFO work explained
R&R
Rest and recreation. In FIFO talk it means your time off between roster blocks.
S
Shotfirer
The person who fires the explosives in a blast. The authority needed to do it is set by the state or territory, so check the regulator where you will work.
Shutdown
A planned stop of a plant or machine for maintenance, usually with a big short-term crew.
Smoko
A short break, originally for a cigarette. On a mine site it is the break between shift tasks, similar to crib.
Standard 11
The Queensland induction standard for coal mines, set out in Recognised Standard 11, Training in coal mines. It is the general induction people mean when they say a Queensland coal ticket.
See: Standard 11 guide, Standard 11 training. Source: Queensland Government: recognised standards
Stope
The underground excavation left when ore is mined out. Crews drill and blast the ore and haul it away through the stope.
Surveyor
The mine surveyor measures the site, marks where to drill and dig, and tracks how much has been moved.
Swing
One block of days on site between breaks. People say they are on their third swing, or have swing days off coming up.
See: FIFO work explained
SWMS
Safe work method statement. A statutory document that has to be prepared for high risk construction work under the model WHS Regulations, setting out the hazards and controls before the work starts.
See: Free SWMS template
T
Tailings
The fine waste left after the valuable mineral has been removed in the processing plant. It is usually stored in a purpose-built tailings storage facility.
Take 5
A short personal safety check done by the worker just before a task: stop, look at the area, identify the hazards, set controls, then proceed or stop. The steps and their names vary between companies.
See: Take 5 template. Source: Dyno Nobel: Take5!
Ticket
Everyday word for a licence, card or certificate that shows you are trained or authorised for a task, such as a white card, a forklift licence or a Standard 11.
Toolbox talk
A short safety briefing the crew holds, usually at the start of a shift, on that day's work, hazards and any changes.
U
Ute
Short for utility vehicle: a light pickup with a tray. On site a ute is usually a light vehicle.
V
VOC
Verification of competency. A check by the site or contractor, normally a practical assessment, that you can operate a specific machine safely on their site. Requirements differ between operators.
W
Waste rock
Rock that has to be moved to get at the ore but is not worth processing.
Water cart
A truck with a water tank and spray bars, used to wet haul roads and keep dust down.
White card
The general construction induction card. It is a one-off induction card, not a mine induction, though mining and construction sites often ask for it.
See: White card online. Source: SafeWork NSW: white cards
About these definitions
Site words change from region to region and from company to company, so treat these as a starting point. Where a term is tied to a rule, such as a licence, an induction or a health scheme, check the regulator or the site for the current requirement before you book anything. We have left out any term we could not define without guessing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a crib room in mining?
A crib room is the lunchroom on a mine site, a clean area where crews eat and take their breaks. Crib is miners' slang for the break or meal. It has nothing to do with a baby's crib or a crib wall in construction.
What is a nipper in mining?
Nipper is a job title in underground mines, usually an entry-level role. Job ads describe a nipper helping production and development crews with materials and supplies, pre-start checks, housekeeping, and signs and barricades. It is an employer's role name, not a legal position.
What does FIFO stand for?
Fly in, fly out. You fly to a remote site for a block of days on roster, live in camp, then fly home for your days off.
What is the difference between FIFO, DIDO and BIBO?
They describe how you get to site. FIFO is fly in, fly out. DIDO is drive in, drive out. BIBO is bus in, bus out. All three mean working away from home for a roster block.
What is a ticket in mining?
Ticket is everyday slang for a licence, card or certificate that shows you are trained or authorised for a task, such as a white card, a high risk work licence or a Standard 11.
Sources
Last updated 10 October 2026. Facts on this page come from the sources below.
- Mount Isa archive: crib rooms and crib ports
- Evolution Mining: entry level underground nipper (job ad)
- House of Representatives inquiry into FIFO and DIDO work
- AusIMM: general safety inductions for the mining industry (PacRim 99)
- Queensland Government: coal workers' health
- Queensland Government: recognised standards (Standard 11)
- WorkSafe WA: high risk work licence classes
- SafeWork NSW: high risk work licences
- SafeWork NSW: white cards
- WorkSafe WA: confined spaces
- Dyno Nobel: Take5!
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