Roof Bolters, Mining
What Roof Bolters, Mining Do
Operate machinery to install roof support bolts in underground mine.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 2.8%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Production and Processingimportance 3.7/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.5/5
- Mechanicalimportance 3.5/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.5/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 3.0/5
- English Languageimportance 2.6/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
- Exposed to Hazardous Equipment5.0/5
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls5.0/5
- Exposed to Contaminants5.0/5
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions5.0/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams5.0/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas96% skill match
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers95% skill match
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators95% skill match
- Roustabouts, Oil and Gas94% skill match
- Crane and Tower Operators94% skill match
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators93% skill match
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders93% skill match
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders93% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Operation and Controlimportance 3.6/5
- Operations Monitoringimportance 3.3/5
- Troubleshootingimportance 3.3/5
- Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Repairingimportance 3.0/5
- Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Other Software Used
- Caterpillar Cat MineStar System
- Caterpillar Command
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Attention to Detail
- Stress Tolerance
- Perseverance
- Self-Control
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- RealisticHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where roof bolters, mining make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Beckley, WV313.48× national avg
- 2Wheeling, WV-OH153.72× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Helpers--Extraction WorkersLateral Move
- Hoist and Winch OperatorsCareer Change
- Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment OperatorsLateral Move
- Pile Driver OperatorsLateral Move