The FIFO Dictionary: Essential Mining Terms Explained

Walking onto a mine site for the first time can feel like entering a workplace where everyone speaks in code.

Someone might tell you to grab your crib, attend pre-start, complete a Take 5 and wait for the area to be isolated — all before you have properly worked out where you are going.

Most of the terminology becomes familiar quickly. However, understanding the basics before your first swing can help you follow instructions, communicate clearly and feel more confident around the crew.

This guide explains the common FIFO, shutdown and mining terms used across Western Australia.

Terminology can vary between companies and sites. Always follow the definitions, procedures and instructions provided during your site induction.

FIFO, Rosters and Travel

FIFO

Fly-in, fly-out. A working arrangement where employees or contractors fly to a remote site, work their roster and return home for their scheduled break. FIFO describes the work arrangement, not the actual occupation. Electricians, fitters, operators, cleaners, engineers and many other workers can all work FIFO.

DIDO

Drive-in, drive-out. The worker drives to the site or accommodation village instead of flying. Some DIDO employers provide transport, while others require workers to use their own vehicle.

BIBO

Bus-in, bus-out. Workers are transported to and from the workplace by bus. This may be used for sites located within driving distance of a regional town or airport.

Point of Hire

The location from which the employer’s travel responsibility begins. For example, a job advertised as FIFO ex Perth generally means the worker must get themselves to Perth before the employer-organised travel starts. Do not assume flights from another Australian city will be included.

Swing

The period of time spent working away from home. Workers may also use the word to describe the entire roster cycle, including the time off.

Roster

The pattern of working days and rest days assigned to the role. Common examples include:

• 8/6: eight days working, six days off;
• 7/7: seven days working, seven days off;
• 2/1: two weeks working, one week off;
• 2/2: two weeks working, two weeks off.

The roster may include day shifts, night shifts or a combination of both.

Even-Time Roster

A roster with approximately the same amount of time working and time off, such as 7/7 or 2/2.

R&R

Rest and recreation. The period away from site between swings. Some workers simply call it their break or time off.

Changeover Day

The day one crew finishes its swing and another crew takes over. Changeover may also refer to switching between day shift and night shift, depending on the site.

Mobilisation

The process of preparing and sending a worker to site. Mobilisation can include flights, medicals, inductions, licence checks, accommodation bookings and confirmation that the worker meets the role requirements. Workers often shorten it to mobi or mob.

Demobilisation

The process of removing a worker, crew or equipment from the site after the job or swing has finished. Often shortened to demob.

Shutdown

A planned period when plant, machinery or part of an operation is taken offline so maintenance, inspections, repairs or upgrades can be completed. Shutdowns are often time-sensitive and can involve a large temporary workforce.

Turnaround

Another term used for an intensive planned maintenance period, common in oil and gas, processing and heavy industry. Some workplaces use shutdown and turnaround interchangeably, while others define them differently.

Camp and Accommodation

Camp or Village

The accommodation area where workers stay during their swing. Larger camps can include dining facilities, a gym, recreation rooms, laundry facilities, sporting areas and a wet mess.

Donga

A common Australian term for a worker’s room on site. A donga is usually a small, self-contained or semi-contained accommodation unit. Its exact layout and facilities depend on the camp.

Dry Mess

The main dining area where workers eat before or after shift. Meals are normally provided as part of camp accommodation.

Wet Mess

The licensed bar or social area at some camps. Alcohol availability and limits vary between sites. Site fitness-for-work and alcohol policies still apply during off-shift periods.

Crib

A meal or meal break taken during a shift. When someone tells you to “bring your crib”, they normally mean bringing the meal you packed at camp.

Crib Room

The designated room or area where workers take their meal break.

Smoko

A short rest break. The term comes from smoking breaks, but it is now commonly used whether anyone is smoking or not.

Mess

A general term for the camp dining facilities.

Laundry Day

The day allocated for cleaning a worker’s room and replacing linen or towels. Workers are still expected to keep their rooms reasonably tidy.

Quiet Hours

The period when noise must be kept to a minimum around accommodation areas, particularly important because day-shift and night-shift workers may be sleeping at different times.

Shifts and Daily Site Life

Day Shift / Night Shift

Many mining shifts are approximately 12 hours long. Night shift can affect sleep, alertness and recovery, so workers need to take fatigue management seriously.

Pre-Start

The meeting held before work begins, covering planned tasks, current hazards, weather conditions, equipment status, incidents from the previous shift and interactions with other work groups. “Pre-start” can also refer to the inspection completed on a vehicle, machine or piece of equipment before it is operated.

Toolbox Talk

A short discussion about a specific task, hazard, incident, procedure or safety topic — normally more focused than the general shift pre-start.

Crew

The group of workers assigned to a shift, work area or supervisor.

Leading Hand

An experienced worker who provides day-to-day guidance to part of the crew, generally sitting between the workforce and the supervisor.

Supervisor / Superintendent

A supervisor coordinates workers, tasks and safety requirements within a work area. A superintendent is a senior site leader generally responsible for a larger department, contract or operational area.

Cross-Shift

Communication between the outgoing and incoming crews, explaining what was completed, what remains outstanding, which equipment has problems and whether any hazards or isolations are still in place.

Handover

The transfer of information, responsibility or equipment from one worker or crew to another. A rushed or incomplete handover can create confusion and safety risks.

Safety and Risk Management

PPE

Personal protective equipment — may include hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, steel-cap boots, hi-vis clothing, respiratory protection or fall-protection equipment. PPE requirements vary by area and task.

Induction

Mandatory training completed before a worker is permitted to access or work at a site, covering emergency procedures, hazards, site rules, reporting requirements and expected behaviour. A worker may need separate company, project, site and area inductions.

JHA or JSA

Job Hazard Analysis or Job Safety Analysis. A process used to break a task into steps, identify potential hazards and establish controls before the work begins. Different companies may use different names or forms for a similar process.

Take 5

A short personal risk assessment completed immediately before starting a task or when conditions change — stopping briefly to think through the work before proceeding. The exact system varies by site.

SWMS

Safe Work Method Statement. A document setting out how certain high-risk construction work will be completed safely, including hazards and control measures.

Hazard / Risk / Control

A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm. Risk is the possibility that harm will occur because of a hazard, together with its potential seriousness. A control is a measure used to eliminate the hazard or reduce the risk — removing the hazard, installing barriers, isolating equipment, changing the work method or using PPE.

Hierarchy of Controls

A system used to rank risk-control measures from most effective to least effective. Eliminating a hazard is generally more reliable than relying only on procedures or PPE.

Permit to Work

Formal authorisation required before certain high-risk tasks can begin — for example, confined-space entry, hot work, excavation or electrical work. A permit does not replace task planning and risk assessment.

Isolation

The process of separating equipment from energy sources so it cannot start, move or release energy while work is performed. Energy sources can include electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, chemical, thermal or gravitational energy.

LOTO

Lock out, tag out. A system where locks and tags are used as part of an isolation process to prevent equipment from being operated or re-energised.

Exclusion Zone

An area people must not enter unless authorised and it is safe to do so — established around lifting operations, mobile equipment, suspended loads, blasting areas or other hazards.

Line of Fire

A position where a worker could be struck, crushed, caught, sprayed or exposed if equipment moves, energy is released or something fails. Staying out of the line of fire is a basic principle of safe work.

Spotter

A person assigned to help guide an operator and monitor hazards, clearances or nearby workers. The spotter and operator must agree on a communication method before the task begins.

Barricade

A physical barrier used to restrict access to an area or warn people about a hazard. Never cross a barricade without authorisation.

Fit for Work / D&A

Fit for work means being physically and mentally capable of completing work safely. Fatigue, illness, alcohol, drugs, medication and stress can all affect fitness for work. D&A (drug and alcohol) is the term commonly used for screening and testing requirements.

LTI

Lost time injury. A work-related injury or illness resulting in time being lost from work.

Near Miss / Incident

A near miss is an event that did not cause injury or damage but had the potential to do so. An incident is any unplanned event connected with work, which may involve injury, damage, environmental impact, equipment failure or a near miss.

HSR

Health and safety representative. A worker elected to represent the health and safety interests of a work group.

Tickets, Competency and Recruitment

Ticket

An informal term for a licence, certificate, qualification or competency document. Not every certificate is legally a licence, but workers and recruiters often refer to them all as tickets.

HRWL

High Risk Work Licence. Required for specific classes of high-risk work, such as certain crane, dogging, rigging, scaffolding and forklift activities. The class shown on the licence determines which work the holder is authorised to perform.

VOC

Verification of Competency. An assessment used by an employer or site to confirm a worker can competently perform a task or operate particular equipment — not always the same as completing an initial training course or holding a licence.

White Card

Evidence that a person has completed general construction induction training. It does not replace site-specific inductions or trade qualifications.

Medical

A pre-employment or site medical assessment used to determine whether a worker can safely perform the role. Requirements differ depending on the employer, site and position.

Site-Ready

A general industry term describing a worker who has the required documents, qualifications, medical clearances and availability to progress towards mobilisation. It does not guarantee employment or automatic site access — each employer and site still applies its own requirements.

Compliance

The documents, checks and requirements that must be satisfied before a worker can be mobilised or perform particular work — licences, medicals, inductions, identity checks and competency evidence.

Candidate Pool

A group of workers available or potentially suitable for upcoming jobs. Recruitment agencies may search their candidate pool before advertising a role publicly.

Availability

The dates on which a worker is genuinely free and willing to accept work. For shutdown recruitment, availability is not a minor profile detail — it helps recruiters identify who can actually be mobilised within the required window.

Site and Mining Operations

Owner-Operator / Contractor / Principal Contractor

An owner-operator directly manages and operates its site and workforce. A contractor is a separate business or worker engaged to deliver a service or scope of work for the mine operator — many shutdown workers are employed by contractors or recruitment agencies rather than directly by the mine owner. A principal contractor is appointed to manage or control a construction project or major work scope.

Greenfield / Brownfield

A greenfield project is built on a site not previously developed for that operation. Brownfield work is completed within or alongside an existing operation, often involving interactions with live operations and established site systems.

Pit / Underground

The pit is the excavated area of an open-cut mining operation where material is removed. Underground mining is performed below the surface through tunnels, shafts or declines.

Plant

The machinery, equipment and processing infrastructure used in an operation. Depending on context, “the plant” may also refer specifically to the mineral-processing facility.

ROM

Run of mine. Material in its mined state before it has been fully processed. A ROM pad is an area where mined material may be stockpiled before processing.

Workshop / Workshop Bay

The site facility where equipment and machinery are inspected, serviced or repaired. A workshop bay is an allocated work position inside the workshop.

Light Vehicle (LV) / Heavy Mobile Equipment (HME)

An LV is a smaller site vehicle, commonly a four-wheel drive or utility vehicle — site-specific authorisation may be required to drive one. HME refers to large mobile machinery such as haul trucks, loaders, graders, excavators and dozers.

Common Trade Nicknames

These informal terms are widely understood, but they may not appear in official documents.

• Sparkie — an electrician
• Fridgie — a refrigeration and air-conditioning technician
• Chippy — a carpenter
• Boily — a boilermaker
• Fitter — usually a mechanical fitter, although the exact role should always be confirmed
• Peggy — a worker who performs general camp, cleaning or utility duties (informal, not used by every employer)

You Do Not Need to Memorise Everything

Nobody expects a new worker to understand every acronym on the first day.

What matters is that you listen, ask when something is unclear and never pretend to understand a safety instruction when you do not.

Site language becomes easier through repetition. Pre-starts, inductions, handovers and conversations with the crew will quickly fill in the gaps.

When in doubt, ask: “Can you confirm what that means on this site?” That question is always better than making an unsafe assumption.

Keep Your Own Work Information Clear

Site language can be complicated. Your professional information should not be.

WATAhub is designed to help FIFO and shutdown workers keep their work history, tickets, availability and professional profile organised in one place.

One profile. Less chasing. Stay ready before the shutdown hits.