This worker oversees a winze, which is a vertical or steep shaft driven downward from an underground level to connect with a lower level. The job involves managing the hoisting equipment, bucket, or skip used to move rock, supplies, and personnel between these internal levels. They ensure safe operation in confined, often poorly ventilated blind shafts.
Heard on the job
Tell the winzeman to hold the bucket at the collar while we load these drill steels.
Insider tip
Because a winze does not reach the surface, a winzeman operates entirely underground, often in tight spaces with limited clearance.