NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:
Ergonomics in Mining
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NIOSH Safety and Health Topic:Ergonomics in Mining |
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Ergonomics is the scientific study of people at work. The goal of ergonomics is to ensure that job tasks, tools, equipment and work places fit worker capabilities. This topic page focuses on ergonomics issues in the mining industry. More information on ergonomics in other industries can be found on the Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders topic page.
About ErgonomicsElements of Ergonomics Programs This primer provides basic information that will be useful for employers, workers, and others in designing effective programs to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), one of the most prevalent and costly safety and health problems in the modern workplace. Task Analysis The goal of ergonomics is to design jobs and tasks around the user's limitations and capabilities. To accomplish this, the designer must understand how the equipment will be used, maintained, and even misused. Design Recommendations for Mining MachineryControl Design Selecting the best operator controls for equipment is critical to maximizing operator-machine performance. This is especially important in confined areas where space for controls is limited and the operator's mobility and ability to generate force is restricted. Maintainability Design Checklist  PDF 47 KB (28 pages)A summary of design review points for the maintainability of new or existing underground equipment. It specifically focuses on the equipment design features, tasks, or procedures that impact equipment downtime, repair costs, labor hours, and maintainer skill level requirements. Proximity Warning Systems PDF 433 KB (8 pages)Technology is available to assist off-road dump truck drivers in monitoring blind spots near their equipment. NIOSH is evaluating systems based on radar, GPS, RF tags, and cameras. Seating Many factors combine to make it difficult to design a suitable seat for underground mobile applications. Visibility A major issue in underground mining equipment design is the visibility from the operator's station. Workstation Layout Machine designers call any location on a mining machine where one or more operators routinely control machine functions a workstation. Some types of mining machines, such as roof bolters, can have multiple workstations. This web page focuses on designing the overall layout of the workstation. Safety IdeasConveyor Spillage Prevention Mine conveying systems that are poorly engineered and designed because of under funding may generate massive amounts of spillage. Inadequate conveyor systems generate the need for frequent maintenance and clean up that require excessive manual material handling. Prevent Slide-Backs On Slope Conveyors In Underground Coal Mines In mines that use slope belt conveyors, excess water creates significant spillage problems as coal is conveyed to the surface. The water causes material to slide back toward the pocket, which results in material accumulating along the slope floor. This material must be shoveled manually to remove it. NIOSHTIC-2 SearchNIOSHTIC-2 search results on Ergonomics  is a searchable bibliographic database of occupational safety and health publications, documents, grant reports, and journal articles supported in whole or in part by NIOSH.
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