A day in my life at Oyu Tolgoi mine site - S.Batmunkh
GCR Mongolia is one of many Mongolian contractor companies working onsite for Oyu Tolgoi project. With 621 skillful employees, they are completing civil works and shaft backbone construction at Oyu Tolgoi mine site.
Batmunkh.S, earthwork superintendent of GCR project team gave us a look into his typical day at work. Majored in civil engineering, he manages the earthworks and civils of GCR project at Oyu Tolgoi.
- How do you start your morning?
I wake up at 5 in the morning. While getting ready, I usually read reports from night shift on my phone and head to mess hall. During breakfast, I think over what works should be done today based on the works completed over night. Breakfast is one of the most important parts of my day because it gives me good energy to start the day.
- If you imagine your typical working day, what kind of works do you usually focus on?
Our prestart meeting starts at 06:30. During this meeting, we receive feedback from team members; have safety share and discussion on how we solve certain problems. After that, all teams have their separate team meetings where they plan their working day. For me, I consult with team leaders on how they can align their works based on the outcomes of the meetings and introduce our work plan to the management and clients. My day officially starts after I go through my emails.
Our company supplies services at multiple areas of Oyu Tolgoi mine site, including central heating plant, Shaft 2, Shaft 5 and Mine Dry etc. One day is certainly not enough for me to visit all areas. So my schedule usually depends on the priority areas of works on that day.
After lunch, I continue visiting different work areas to consult with the senior engineers and check their progress. At 17:20, the meeting I facilitate between engineers and management start.
- How do you spend your leisure time after work?
The night shift takes over at 19:00, so I get off work after sharing updates and giving guidance to the night shift employees. You can find me playing basketball in the court or with a ball in the soccer field after work hours.
- If you compare your present self with the past, how much did you change in terms of professional and personal development?
10 years ago, I was only an engineering student. Since then, I continuously worked as an engineer for many international and domestic projects. In 2015, I was assigned to shaft project at Oyu Tolgoi mine site. As civil engineer, I realized there is so much to learn from working at a mine project. Engineering is an exciting job when you keep learning more and more.
You see, GCR’s very first project was at Oyu Tolgoi mine site. As a new company only established in 2017, the project at this scale was very challenging. Everything was new to us and our first earthwork couldn’t even progress after 30 minutes on our first day. Now that I look back, I’m very proud of our team and how far we’ve come.
- If you have any advice for students who are majoring in civil engineering, what would you say?
My experience shows that civil engineers have flexible career choice. Engineering is an interesting profession where you never stop learning, studying or researching. So to those who are studying civil engineering, I would like to say that you should use your time efficiently now. Even though you are being taught by your teachers at the moment, you will have to continuously study once you graduate. Only those who are diligent win at the end. Learn to do work smart, safe and fast. You can even have fun while doing your job!