The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is developing a National Strategy for Equitable Personal Protective Equipment Protections for All U.S. Workers. This paper describes several formative components of the strategy that have been completed and are ongoing. These efforts clearly indicate the need for human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) contributions to overcome current limitations and barriers to equitable PPE protection for some workers. Fundamental ergonomics approaches are needed to contribute to more equitable PPE protections for all members of the workforce for whom PPE is required. This will ensure that all workers that require PPE are adequately protected from hazards while minimizing negative consequences (e.g., discomfort, reduced perceptual capabilities, performance decrements) while also allowing workers to safely and comfortably work as productively as when not wearing PPE. © 2023 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) are the second leading cause of non-fatal injuries and can lead to fatal incidents in the mining industry. Hazard identification is an essential first step in remediating STF hazards and creating a safer work environment. Previous research has identified industry-specific risk factors for STFs, evaluated exposures to those risk factors, and developed taxonomies of the hazards for the construction and farming sectors. In comparison, ErgoMine-a mobile device application-based ergonomics audit tool-is the only systematic evaluation tool that covers STF hazards in the mining industry. However, ErgoMine was not specifically developed to address STF hazards. This paper describes the development of a taxonomy that helps identify STF hazards at surface mining sites and provides recommendations to address these hazards to inform future evaluation tools. The objective was to develop a taxonomy that was self-explanatory, observable, repeatable, and solution oriented. In addition to current regulations, standards and guidelines were used to develop the taxonomy to ensure the focus was beyond basic compliance. A detailed description of how the STF hazard taxonomy was created for walkways, stairways, and fixed ladders is provided, along with two specific applications of its use. The STF hazard taxonomy can be used to develop tools like checklists and ergonomics audits to identify and remediate slip, trip, and fall hazards at surface mining facilities, thereby improving worker safety.

A web-based survey was conducted of ergonomics practitioners holding certifications in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. The survey follows 12 years after an earlier initial survey reported by Dempsey et al. (2005). Approximately 1221 eligible participants were invited by e-mail to participate, and 405 surveys were included in the final analysis. The survey queried use of basic instruments relevant to ergonomic practice as well as more specific analytical tools such as observational techniques for assessing postural demands of work and instrumentation for direct measurement of such demands. Some ergonomic assessment methods appear to have increased in their overall use by U.S. ergonomists compared to 2005 data. This was observed for: RULA, REBA, Psychophysical Upper Extremity Data, Strain Index, and ACGIH TLV for Hand Activity Level. There is minimal evidence of increased overall use of direct measurement approaches in the U.S. There appear to be geographic differences between countries/continents in terms of use of various methods. The use of mobile device/smart phone “apps” by ergonomists was queried and these technologies presently appear to be in early adoption phase with 24–28% of practitioners reporting use of an app in their ergonomics practice.

Objective: To evaluate the hearing loss risk in different sectors and subunits in the mining industry and to identify associated occupations, in an attempt to locate gaps between hearing conservation efforts and hearing loss risks.Design: Descriptive statistics and frequency tables were generated by commodity types, subunit operations, and/or occupations. Temporal trends of the incidences of hearing loss were reported by commodity types.Study Sample: The MSHA Accident/Injury/Illness and MSHA Address/Employment databases from 2000 to 2014 were used.Results: Incidence rate of OHL was reported highest in the coal sector compared to other commodity types. Those members of the workforce that entered the mining industry after the year 2000 accounted for 6.5% and 19.0% of the total hearing loss records for coal and non-coal, respectively. High-risk occupations found in all three commodity sectors (coal; stone, sand, and gravel; and metal/non-metal) were electrician/helper/wireman, mechanic/repairman/helper, bulldozer/tractor operator, and truck driver.Conclusion: Hearing loss risks were not uniform across mining sectors, subunit operations, and occupations. In addition to the continuous efforts of implementing engineering controls to reduce machinery sound level exposure for operators, a multi-level approach may benefit those occupations with a more dynamic exposure profile - e.g., labour/utilityman/bullgang, electrician/helper/wireman, and mechanic/repairman/helper.

Ergonomics is the scientific discipline that investigates the interactions between humans and systems to optimize both human and system performance for worker safety, health, and productivity. Ergonomics is frequently involved either in the design of emerging technologies or in strategies to alleviate unanticipated human performance problems with emerging technologies. This manuscript explores several such emerging issues and opportunities in the context of the mining sector. In mining, the equipment, tools, and procedures have changed considerably and continue to change. Body-worn technology provides a number of opportunities to advance the safety and health of miners, while teleoperation and autonomous mining equipment stand to benefit significantly from ergonomics applications in other sectors. This manuscript focuses on those issues and opportunities that can impact the safety and health of miners in the near term.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration requires that 1.4 m2 (15 ft2) of floor space is to be provided for each person inside a refuge alternative (RA). However, the amount of floor space needed for a person to reside inside an RA and perform basic tasks is unknown. During testing, participants entered into an RA or a simulated RA of various space/volume configurations and performed several simulated tasks that are representative of the survivability tasks performed within an RA. The results indicate that the floor space requirements were generally adequate for the tasks studied. Certain tasks such as changing scrubber cartridges, using toilets, and moving about the RA were impacted by the minimum height tested (0.6 m). As such, RAs of this height will require critical design consideration as a whole and the supplies provided for use inside of the RA to ensure the ability to use an RA.

The development and testing of ergonomics and safety audits for small and bulk bag filling, haul truck, and maintenance and repair operations in coal preparation and mineral processing plants found at surface mine sites is described. The content for the audits was derived from diverse sources of information on ergonomics and safety deficiencies including: analysis of injury, illness, and fatality data and reports; task analysis; empirical laboratory studies of particular tasks; field studies and observations at mine sites; and maintenance records. These diverse sources of information were utilized to establish construct validity of the modular audits that were developed for use by mine safety personnel. User and inter-rater reliability testing was carried out prior to finalizing the audits. The audits can be implemented using downloadable paper versions or with a free mobile NIOSH-developed Android application called ErgoMine. Practitioner Summary The methodology used to develop ergonomics audits for three types of mining operations is described. Various sources of audit content are compared and contrasted to serve as a guide for developing ergonomics audits for other occupational contexts.

Several tools are sold and recommended for closing and sealing flexible intermediate bulk containers (bulk bags) which are used to transport product that has been mined and processed. However, there is limited information on the risks, physical demands, or the benefits of using one tool over another. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physical demands involved with two closing methods and several sealing tools in order to provide recommendations for selecting tools to reduce exposure to risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. In this study, twelve participants completed bag closing and sealing tasks using two different closing methods and eight sealing tools on two types of bulk bags. Physical demands and performance were evaluated using muscle activity, perceived exertion, subjective ratings of use, and time. Results indicate that using the "flowering" method to close bags required on average 32% less muscle activity, 30% less perceived exertion, 42% less time, and was preferred by participants compared to using the "snaking" method. For sealing, there was no single method significantly better across all measures; however, using a pneumatic cable tie gun consistently had the lowest muscle activity and perceived exertion ratings. The pneumatic cable tie gun did require approximately 33% more time to seal the bag compared to methods without a tool, but the amount of time to seal the bag was comparable to using other tools. Further, sealing a spout bulk bag required on average 13% less muscle activity, 18% less perceived exertion, 35% less time, and was preferred by participants compared to sealing a duffle bulk bag. The current results suggest that closing the spout bag using the flowering method and sealing the bag using the pneumatic cable tie gun that is installed with a tool balancer is ergonomically advantageous. Our findings can help organizations select methods and tools that pose the lowest physical demands when closing and sealing bulk bags. © 2016.

BACKGROUND: No specific guidelines or regulations are provided by the Mine Safety and Health Administration for the use of inclined grated metal walkways in mining plants. Mining and other companies may be using walkway materials that do not provide sufficient friction, contributing to slip and fall injuries. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if there are significant differences in the required friction for different grated metal walkways during walking in diverse conditions. METHODS: The normalized coefficients of friction were measured for 12 participants while walking up and down an instrumented walkway with different inclinations (0 degrees , 5 degrees , 10 degrees , 15 degrees , and 20 degrees ) and with and without the presence of a contaminant (glycerol). Self-reported slip events were recorded and the required coefficients of friction were calculated considering only the anterior/posterior components of the shear forces. Additionally, the available coefficients of friction for these walkway materials were measured at the 0 degrees orientation using a tribometer, with and without the presence of the contaminant, using a boot heel as well as Neolite as the test feet. RESULTS: The number of slips increased when the inclination angle reached 10 degrees and above. Of all materials tested, the diamond weave grating was found to have the best performance at all inclines and when contaminated or dry. A high number of slips occurred for the perforated grating and serrated bar grating at 20 degrees when contaminated. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study suggest that the diamond weave grating provides significantly better friction compared to serrated bar and perforated gratings, especially at inclines greater than 10 degrees .

During a mine disaster or emergency, underground air can quickly become contaminated. In these circumstances, all underground mine workers are taught to don breathable air supply units at the first sign of an emergency. However, no contemporary oxygen consumption data is available for the purposes of designing breathing air supply equipment specifically for mine escape. Further, it would be useful to quantify the oxygen requirements of breathing air supply users for various escape scenarios. To address this need, 14 participants crawled a distance of 305 m each while their breath-by-breath oxygen consumption measurements were taken. Using these data, linear regression models were developed to determine peak and average oxygen consumption rates as well as total oxygen consumption. These models can be used by manufacturers of breathing air supply equipment to aid in the design of devices that would be capable of producing sufficient on-demand oxygen to allow miners to perform self-escape.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance and repair work in mining is particularly hazardous and yet has received little focus in ergonomics research. PURPOSE: In this article, an attempt has been made to determine if patterns can be identified to categorize maintenance and repair fatalities in mining, to compare occurrence of fatalities between coal and metal/nonmetal sectors, and to use this information to identify safety deficiencies and associated proposed remedial measures. METHODS: A classification scheme was developed to identify patterns in fatalities, including proximal causes, tasks, and contributing factors. This scheme was tested to ensure adequacy of the categories, and fatalities were categorized using the scheme. All testing and categorization were done by two of the authors to ensure reliability of the coding scheme. RESULTS: Patterns were successfully identified to categorize the fatalities, and these patterns were different between coal and metal/nonmetal mines. Coal mines had a greater proportion of electrical-related fatalities, while more fatalities related to potential energy occurred at metal/nonmetal mines. Most of the fatalities were caused by the victim coming into contact with an object or machine or the victim falling from height, and they occurred most often while the victim was performing maintenance or repair on equipment, cleaning, or removing blockages. The most frequent factors contributing to these incidents were failure to properly de-energize or lock out/tag out equipment, violation of work procedures, missing or inadequate safety equipment, and failure to block equipment properly. CONCLUSIONS: The classification approach used was successful in identifying hazard patterns during maintenance and repair fatalities in mining. These patterns identify areas to focus attention when developing interventions to prevent the occurrence of future fatalities.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to identify key tasks, tools, and equipment associated with maintenance and repair injuries at US mines and to provide some mitigation strategies to reduce these types of injuries. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This study analyzed incidents resulting in injuries reported to the US Mine Safety and Health Administration from 2002 to 2011. Incident reports were limited to those occurring at mining plants, shops, yards, and aboveground locations. Incident reports were analyzed to determine which activities contributed to injuries and were due to machine maintenance and repair, non-powered hand tools, and powered hand tools. An in-depth analysis of the root causes of these injuries was then performed. FINDINGS: Maintenance and repair in mining is associated with a significant number of hand and finger injuries with a range of severities and averaging over 20 amputated fingers, 180 fractured hands and fingers, and 455 hand and finger lacerations per year. Many of these injuries are caused by hands being struck by or caught in tools and equipment. Back and shoulder strains are found to be associated with the most days lost from work and are mostly attributed to materials handling. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Occupational injuries and fatalities still occur with high incidences in the mining sector. The mission of the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR; part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH) is to "eliminate mining fatalities, injuries, and illnesses through research and prevention." As part of this work, OMSHR acquires surveillance data from MSHA to quantify the types and sources of injuries at US mining facilities. The authors evaluated maintenance- and repair-related injuries at US mining sites (excluding underground coal mines). Results of this study suggest a need for improved design of machine guarding, improved hand protection through gloves and equipment design/redesign, and manual materials handling solutions. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The findings indicate that maintenance and repair in mining include occupational risks that may be managed through modifications to machines, proper usage of hand tools and hand protection, and improved manual materials handling processes.

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are conducting mine illumination research with the objective of improving miner safety. Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) are the second leading accident class (18.1%, n = 2,374) of nonfatal lost-time injuries at underground mines (MSHA, 2005-2009). Factors contributing to STFs include recognition of hazards as well as postural balance and age. Improved lighting may enable better hazard recognition and reduce the impact of postural balance and age. Previous research has shown that cap lamp technology that used light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has improved hazard detection. This study was an initial investigation to determine if cap lamp lighting significantly influences measures of static postural stability (displacement and velocity of center of pressure). Results of this investigation showed no significant differences in the balance measures of interest between cap lamps tested. However, balance was shown to significantly decline (p< 0.05) when tested in an underground coal mine compared to the laboratory testing condition. Relevance to industry Underground coal mine workers wear cap lamps on their hard hats as their primary light source to illuminate nearby areas where their vision is directed. Proper illumination may improve miner safety by improving their STF hazard recognition and balance.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to evaluate the circumstances leading to fall from equipment injuries in the mining industry. METHOD: The 2006 and 2007 Mine Safety and Health Administration annual injury databases were utilized for this study whereby the injury narrative, nature of injury, body part injured, mine type, age at injury, and days lost were evaluated for each injury. RESULTS: The majority of injuries occurred at surface mining facilities (approximately 60%) with fractures and sprains/strains being the most common injuries occurring to the major joints of the body. Nearly 50% of injuries occurred during ingress/egress, predominantely during egress, and approximately 25% of injuries occurred during maintenance tasks. The majority of injuries occurred in relation to large trucks, wheel loaders, dozers, and conveyors/belts. The severity of injury was independent of age and the median days lost was seven days; however, there was a large range in severity. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: From the data obtained in this study, several different research areas have been identified for future work, which include balance and stability control when descending ladders and equipment design for maintenance tasks.

INTRODUCTION: The restricted workspace present in low-seam coal mines forces workers to adopt awkward working postures (kneeling and stooping), which place high physical demands on the knee and lower back. METHOD: This article provides an analysis of injury claims for eight mining companies operating low-seam coal mines during calendar years 1996-2008. All cost data were normalized using data on the cost of medical care (MPI) as provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. RESULTS: Results of the analysis indicate that the knee was the body part that led in terms of claim cost ($4.2 million), followed by injuries to the lower back ($2.7 million). While the average cost per injury for these body parts was $13,100 and $14,400, respectively (close to the average cost of an injury overall), the high frequency of these injuries resulted in their preeminence in terms of cost. Analysis of data from individual mining companies suggest that knee and lower back injuries were a consistent problem across companies, as these injuries were each among the top five most costly part of body for seven out of eight companies studied. APPLICATION/IMPACT: Results of this investigation suggest that efforts to reduce the frequency of knee and low back injuries in low-seam mines have the potential to create substantial cost savings.