My dad completed a Mining Engineering degree and had worked in some big mining companies in the Philippines when I was young.
Several accidents in the mining site almost cost him his life but he was unshakable. He had witnessed several fatal bar down incidents that took the lives of many of his men in some thousands of feet below the ground.
But there was one incident which served as a turning point in his life which lead him to completely abandon his profession.
He saw some very refined sand dripping down the walls of an underground tunnel connecting the blasting and the panning department one night while on his shift. He was the Supervisor of three departments at the time. He went to report this observation to the General Manager and requested a thorough check of all the structures in those specific areas of the underground.
He believed that if ignored, another doom would come. But the General Manager dismissed his proposal on the grounds that my dad’s request would require a big budget. My dad urged his superior to do something otherwise his people would die, but the General Manager convinced him that it´s not going to happen. The next day, my dad resigned.
Quickly the company replaced my dad’s abandoned post. But not long after that, a very tragic accident happened burying the new Supervisor and the workers to death - just as my dad prophesied.
Because of the accident my dad lost interest in mining. He started to see his profession as a waiting grave. He also disliked the irregular night shifts and not being able to take a complete weekend holidays and spend time with his kids. It made him decide to change his career. From being a mining engineer, he became a self-employed business man.
photo credit: weheartit.com
