The Case for Treating Mine Workers Like Professional Athletes

Written by Ken MacLean, civeo.com

Editor’s note: Reprinted with permission from Civeo. For more content on workforce accommodations, visit https://civeo.com/about/blog/

Mine workers and professional athletes operate in vastly different environments, but both require a degree of physical and mental endurance to perform optimally. Athletes rely on targeted interventions such as optimized sleep, nutrition, and recovery programs to sustain peak performance. Mine workers, who often endure long shifts in remote or physically demanding locations, can benefit from similar strategies to counteract fatigue, physical strain, and mental exhaustion.

Treating mine workers with the same care as professional athletes – focusing on sleep quality, nutrition, hydration, and mental well-being – can significantly improve job performance, safety, and overall productivity.

Civeo, one of Canada’s largest workforce accommodations and food services providers, puts this philosophy into action.

“Just like a professional athlete prepares themselves for the next game, the guests we care for prepare themselves for the demands of their next day on the job,” says Andy Fraser, President of Civeo Canada. “In many ways, the physical and mental inputs are very similar. In that sense, we don’t just provide accommodations and meals. We provide a foundation for optimal performance and well-being.” 

The role of sleep hygiene in performance and safety

Sleep quality significantly affects physical recovery, cognitive function, and emotional well-being. For mine workers, operating heavy equipment or making safety-critical decisions while sleep-deprived can have catastrophic consequences. Insufficient sleep reduces alertness, reaction times, and decision-making abilities – factors critical in both mining and sports.

An experienced workforce accommodations provider can assist in implementing sleep hygiene protocols to combat these challenges while enhancing workers’ physical recovery and cognitive focus. This can include structured sleep schedules, mining accommodations engineered for noise abatement, and guest rooms fitted with blackout curtains, comfortable bedding, and temperature controls.

Nutrition: The foundation of energy and endurance

Nutrition is another area where the mining industry can learn from sports science. Like athletes, mine workers require balanced nutrition to sustain energy and focus during long shifts. A diet rich in lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables supports muscle recovery, boosts energy, and improves mental acuity.

Conversely, poorly planned meals and dietary choices can lead to fatigue and decreased productivity.

Mining operators can address this by ensuring their food services provider is offering healthy, balanced, nutrient-rich meals in worksite cafeterias and educating workers on the importance of nutrition.

Climate and environmental challenges

Mining workers in Canada can spend long hours working in extreme cold or heat, which demand additional energy expenditure and physical resilience. Like athletes training in adverse conditions, miners may require hydration strategies and a higher caloric intake than the average person due to the physically demanding nature of their work. 

Dehydration can severely impact physical performance, causing fatigue, cramps, and decreased cognitive function. Professional athletes maintain strict hydration protocols to ensure peak performance. The same practice can apply to mine workers. Offering easily accessible water stations and encouraging regular hydration can prevent these issues.

Mental health and resilience

Living away from home for prolonged periods, working long shifts, and performing high-stakes work can be mentally taxing for mine workers. Like athletes and professional sports teams, prioritizing mental health is a critical component of performance.

Mining companies can offer on-site counseling, mindfulness programs, and recreational opportunities to reduce stress and foster well-being.

In addition, Civeo underscores the need to address challenges miners face when working in remote areas. “Distance from loved ones can contribute to a sense of isolation which can negatively impact mental health,” says Fraser. “That’s why we invest in communications infrastructure, like dependable internet access, to offer an important social connection to family, friends, and other support groups.”

Staying ahead of the game

A commitment to improved sleep, nutrition, hydration, and mental health supports are key factors that underpin both athletic and occupational success.

With the help of an experienced workforce accommodations provider, mining companies that adopt these practices can benefit from a healthier, focused, and more productive workforce, ultimately contributing to safer and more efficient operations.