Meeting the rates was often impossible. Few prisoners could physically handle that titanic load at work.  In many cases during the cave-ins in the tunnel, there was not enough mineral to fill seven wagons. But prison command never accepted any justification for not meeting the rate. The most common expression of officers in Spaç was “Either your plan (target) or your soul”, which implied that death awaited all those who didn’t give the regime whatever was required at all costs.

The tunnels’ entrance had small barracks with boards and sheet metal, which stored the prisoner’s working tools such as: axes, pickaxes, shovels, hammer drills, mining drills (hexagonal section rods of different lengths from 50 to 150 cm placed in the hammer and drilling holes where the explosive device would be put).Before entering the mine, the prisoners would be divided in groups of three, where one was a miner and two were carters.After taking their work tools, they would enter the tunnel and  go to the exploded area to start work.

The shift was considered complete only after opening the holes for the next shift. Afterwards, the three-prisoner group left the tunnel and prepared to return to the camp.  The first shift started at 7:00 am and ended at 3:00 pm. The second shift started at 3:00 and ended at 11:00. The third shift started at 11:00 and ended at 7:00 in the morning. This cycle was repeated every day. The brigades changed shifts once a week.

Whereas the two miners loaded wagons and did seven hellish trips on pyrite or copper tunnels, the other prisoner prepared the bodies to reinforce the whole dug area once it had been emptied. This area would be entirely reinforced on the sides and ceiling of the tunnel with wooden bodies, which were torn up and shaped in such a way to be fitted with one another. This wooden reinforcement secured the tunnel up to a point to avoid collapse and provide for further digging.

Temperature in pyrite tunnels changed extremely compared to temperature out of tunnels, where prisoners got out to empty their wagons. Inside, temperatures varied from 50 to 60 degrees Celsius, whereas winter temperatures hit -20 degrees Celsius outside. In winter, prisoners worked naked inside the tunnels, whereas outside they wore fur coats they stored at the entrance to protect themselves somewhat from the extreme change of temperature. This was the cause that the predominant disease of the camp was the cold. It accompanied prisoners for as long as they were forced to live in that hell.