A metalman was a specialized worker in older coal mines whose job was to remove the hard rock, or metal, above a coal seam. When a coal seam was too thin for workers or haulage equipment to pass through, the metalman would drill, blast, and clear the overlying barren rock to create sufficient headroom in the roadways and gateways.
Heard on the job
The seam pinches down to three feet here, so send the metalman in to take down the roof before we lay the track.
Related terms
Stoneman
A specialized miner tasked with excavating through hard rock rather than the coal seam.
Brusher
A worker assigned to excavate the roof or floor of an underground roadway to increase clearance.
Metal
A traditional mining term for the rock surrounding an orebody, or any hard rock encountered underground.