Getting to Know Dave Thomas, Computer Programmer in the Home Office

How long have you been with American Mining? I began work on March 31st, so I've been here one month. Already!?

Tell us about a typical day? What happens when you walk into the office every morning? On a typical day, I check email messages first thing in the morning. Corey, our IT Manager dispatches work to us through our issue tracking system. When that assignment has been made, meetings to determine the details of the work to be done ensue. The work to either change the computer programs, or write new ones, progresses through three different phases before it is completed.

What do you like most about your job? I truly enjoy helping others. And one of the ways I can help is to provide people with the information they need, and to automate many of the tasks involved in their jobs.

Have you worked in the insurance industry before working at AMIC? Most of my work experience has been in the insurance industry. I spent about seven years working for a property and casualty insurance company as a computer programmer. Then I worked as an IT Manager for about ten years at a life and health insurance company.

Where did you work before joining us? I was a self-employed contract computer programmer since 1992. I was working on a long-term contract with an international software company in the Huntsville area when this opportunity came along. more>>>

Fatality Rate Down Significantly at Small Mining Operations

ARLINGTON, Va. – According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), smaller mining operations in the U.S. have seen a significant decline in the rate of fatal accidents in the five years since MSHA established its Small Mines Office. Between 2003 and 2007, mine operations receiving direct assistance from the agency’s Small Mines Office have experienced a 66 percent reduction in their fatality incidence rate (i.e., the number of fatalities per 200,000 hours worked). Prior to 2003, smaller mining operations, those which employed five or fewer miners, tended to experience a higher rate of fatal accidents than their larger counterparts. more>>>

This issue, we're collecting all the tips from previous newsletters into a handy reference.

To view more than one page at a time:

Right click on the first page
Pick “Copy to Thumbnail Workpad”
Right click on the next page
Pick “Copy to Thumbnail Workpad”
Keep doing this for all the pages you want to view at the same time.
Then, in the Thumbnail Workpad that pops up
Right Click on the first page
Pick Show in Dock Window 1
Right Click on the next page
Pick Show in Dock Window 2
And so on…

more>>>

click here for larger graphs