Last data update: Jun 03, 2024. (Total: 46935 publications since 2009)
Records 1-13 (of 13 Records) |
Query Trace: Pollard JP [original query] |
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The necessity for improved hand and finger protection in mining
Heberger JR , Nasarwanji MF , Pollard JP , Kocher LM . Min Metall Explor 2022 39 (2) 507-520 Injuries associated with hands and fingers are highly prevalent in mining and identifying factors associated with these injuries are critical in developing prevention efforts. This study identifies nonfatal injury incidence rates, nature of injury, work activities, glove usage, and sources of hand and finger injuries in the U.S. mining industry, as reported to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) from 2011 - 2017. Hand and finger injuries occur at a rate of 6.53 per 1000 full-time employees, which is nearly double the rate of the next highest affected body part, the back. Most of the hand and finger injuries were classified as cuts/lacerations/punctures (53%) followed by bone fractures/chips (26%). Materials handling and maintenance/repair were common activities at the time of the incident with miscellaneous metals (pipe, wire, guarding) and hand tools as the primary sources of hand and finger injury. Although the information on glove use was limited, leather gloves were most often worn when an injury occurred. When worn, gloves were found to contribute to 20% of the injuries, indicating their potential to protect the hands, but also potentially put the hands at risk. Further research is necessary to determine performance requirements for gloves used in mining operations, specifically those offering cut and puncture resistance. © 2022, This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply. |
Effects of metatarsal work boots on gait during level and inclined walking
Kocher LM , Pollard JP , Whitson AE , Nasarwanji MF . J Appl Biomech 2020 1-8 Footwear plays an important role in worker safety. Work boots with safety toes are often utilized at mine sites to protect workers from hazards. Increasingly, mining operations require metatarsal guards in addition to safety toe protection in boots. While these guards provide additional protection, the impact of metatarsal guards on gait are unknown. This study aimed to measure the effects of 4 safety work boots, steel toe, and steel toe with metatarsal protection in wader- and hiker-style boots, on level and inclined walking gait characteristics, during ascent and descent. A total of 10 participants completed this study. A motion capture system measured kinematics that allowed for the calculation of key gait parameters. Results indicated that gait parameters changed due to incline, similar to previous literature. Wader-style work boots reduced ankle range of motion when ascending an incline. Hip, knee, and ankle ranges of motion were also reduced during descent for this style of boot. Wader-style boots with metatarsal guards led to the smallest ankle range of motion when descending an inclined walkway. From these results, it is likely that boot style affects gait parameters and may impact a miner's risk for slips, trips, or falls. |
A General Framework to Test and Evaluate Filtering Facepiece Respirators Considered for Crisis Capacity Use as a Strategy to Optimize Supply.
Yoon KN , Greenawald LA , Rottach DR , Pollard JP , Yorio PL . J Int Soc Respir Prot 2020 36 (1) 36-51 During a public health emergency, respirator shortages can have a profound impact on the national response, such as for the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Due to a severe shortage of respirators (particularly filtering facepiece respirators [FFRs]), there may be contexts in which understanding the performance of FFRs that are approved for use as part of a crisis capacity strategy is desired. This includes FFRs that are not covered under the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Respirator Approval Program because they have been stored past their designated shelf life, have been decontaminated, or are approved by international certification bodies other than NIOSH. The purpose of this document is to provide a general framework to assess the performance of FFRs that are only being used as a crisis capacity strategy. The intended audience are those who are responsible for managing large amounts of FFRs. This framework includes a four-step process consisting of: 1) defining the population of FFRs to be sampled; 2) providing sampling strategy options; 3) inspecting and testing the sampled units; and 4) evaluating the results. In addition to the four-step process, we provide an example of how NIOSH recently evaluated the quality of FFRs sampled from ten U.S. stockpiles. |
Analysis of fall-related imminent danger orders in the metal/nonmetal mining sector
Hrica JK , Eiter BM , Pollard JP , Kocher LM , Nasarwanji M . Min Metall Explor 2020 37 (2) 619-630 Within the metal/nonmetal mining sector, fall-related incidents account for a large proportion of fatal and non-fatal injuries. However, the events and contributing factors leading up to these incidents have not been fully investigated. To help provide a clearer picture of these factors, an analysis of imminent danger orders issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) between 2010 and 2017 at both surface and underground metal/nonmetal mine sites revealed that most orders are associated with fall risks. Of these cases, 84% involved the workers not using fall protection, fall protection not being provided, or the improper use of fall protection. Fall risks for workers most frequently occurred when standing on mobile equipment, performing maintenance and repairs on plant equipment, or working near highwalls. In most cases, a single, basic, corrective action (e.g., using fall protection) would have allowed workers to perform the task safely. Overall, these findings suggest that a systematic approach is needed to identify, eliminate, and prevent imminent danger situations. Furthermore, to protect mineworkers from falls from height, frequently performed tasks requiring fall protection should be redesigned to eliminate the reliance on personal fall protection. |
Emerging ergonomics issues and opportunities in mining
Dempsey PG , Kocher LM , Nasarwanji MF , Pollard JP , Whitson AE . Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 15 (11) 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. |
Evaluating the Use of Stretchers in Two Mobile Refuge Alternatives
Heberger JR , Pollard JP . J Saf Health Environ Res 2016 12 (2) 298-306 In a mine emergency where refuge is necessary, miners may sustain injuries that will render them unable to walk or crawl. In this situation, a miner may have to rely on others for transportation into the mobile refuge alternative (RA) while on a stretcher. Since requirements for mine first-aid stations were developed before RAs, stretchers should be evaluated to determine whether they are usable in an RA and within the physical capabilities of miners in a refuge. The size of the RA airlock is a concern, as it has not been determined if current airlocks will accommodate a miner on a stretcher. This study evaluated the time required to move three types of stretchers into two commercially available RAs. The splint stretcher had the longest average time to move into each RA as compared to the backboard and soft stretcher. This increase was mostly due to the increased time requirements for getting the splint stretcher into the airlock. For all stretchers, it took approximately two to three times longer to enter the inflatable tent-type RA compared to the rigid steel RA. Mining companies should consider how well their current first-aid implements work with their RAs and manufacturers of inflatable RAs should maximize the size of the outer doors leading into the airlock to allow an easier entry for stretchers. |
Identification of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Mining
Weston E , Nasarwanji MF , Pollard JP . J Saf Health Environ Res 2016 12 (1) 274-283 Work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) prevention measures have been studied in great depth throughout various industries. While the nature and causes of these disorders have been characterized in many industries, WMSDs occurring in the U.S. mining sector have not been characterized for several years. In this report, MSHA accident/injury/illness data from 2009 to 2013 were characterized to determine the most frequently reported WMSDs in the U.S. mining sector. WMSDs were most frequently reported in workers with less than 5 years or more than 20 years of mining experience. The number of days lost from work was the highest for shoulder and knee injuries and was found to increase with worker age. Underground and surface coal, surface stone and stone processing plants experienced the greatest number of WMSDs over the period studied. WMSDs were most commonly caused by an employee suffering from an overexertion, falls or being struck by an object while performing materials handling, maintenance and repair tasks, getting on or off equipment or machines, and walking or running. The injury trends presented should be used to help determine the focus of future WMSD prevention research in mining. |
Off-road truck-related accidents in U.S. mines
Dindarloo SR , Pollard JP , Siami-Irdemoos E . J Safety Res 2016 58 79-87 Introduction Off-road trucks are one of the major sources of equipment-related accidents in the U.S. mining industries. A systematic analysis of all off-road truck-related accidents, injuries, and illnesses, which are reported and published by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), is expected to provide practical insights for identifying the accident patterns and trends in the available raw database. Therefore, appropriate safety management measures can be administered and implemented based on these accident patterns/trends. Methods A hybrid clustering-classification methodology using K-means clustering and gene expression programming (GEP) is proposed for the analysis of severe and non-severe off-road truck-related injuries at U.S. mines. Using the GEP sub-model, a small subset of the 36 recorded attributes was found to be correlated to the severity level. Results Given the set of specified attributes, the clustering sub-model was able to cluster the accident records into 5 distinct groups. For instance, the first cluster contained accidents related to minerals processing mills and coal preparation plants (91%). More than two-thirds of the victims in this cluster had less than 5 years of job experience. This cluster was associated with the highest percentage of severe injuries (22 severe accidents, 3.4%). Almost 50% of all accidents in this cluster occurred at stone operations. Similarly, the other four clusters were characterized to highlight important patterns that can be used to determine areas of focus for safety initiatives. Conclusions The identified clusters of accidents may play a vital role in the prevention of severe injuries in mining. Further research into the cluster attributes and identified patterns will be necessary to determine how these factors can be mitigated to reduce the risk of severe injuries. Practical application Analyzing injury data using data mining techniques provides some insight into attributes that are associated with high accuracies for predicting injury severity. |
Slip potential for commonly used inclined grated metal walkways
Pollard JP , Heberger JR , Dempsey PG . IIE Trans Occup 2015 3 (2) 115-126 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 . |
Development of a model to determine oxygen consumption when crawling
Pollard JP , Heberger JR , Dempsey PG . Trans Soc Min Metall Explor Inc 2015 338 (1) 441-447 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. |
The effect of cap lamp lighting on postural control and stability
Sammarco JJ , Pollard JP , Porter WL , Dempsey PG , Moore CT . Int J Ind Ergon 2012 42 (4) 377-383 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. |
Task-specific postures in low-seam underground coal mining
Moore SM , Pollard JP , Nelson ME . Int J Ind Ergon 2012 42 (2) 241-248 The objective of this study was to determine low-seam mine worker exposure to various postures as they pertain to job classifications and job tasks. Sixty-four mine workers from four low-seam coal mines participated. The mine workers reported the tasks they were required to complete and the two postures they used most frequently to perform them. They were provided with a schematic of postures from which to select. The two postures reported most frequently were identified for each task along with the job classification of the workers performing the tasks. Of the 18 tasks reported, over two thirds were performed by at least two different job classifications and over one third were performed by four or more job classifications. Across tasks, the postures used appeared to vary greatly. However, when grouped by job classification, the most frequently reported posture across all job classifications was kneeling near full flexion. Operating the continuous miner was associated with frequent squatting and was likely used because it affords great mobility, allowing operators to move quickly to avoid hazards. However, for environments with a restricted vertical height such as low-seam mining, the authors recommend squatting be avoided as data demonstrates that large amounts of femoral rollback and high muscle activity for the extensors when performing lateral lifts in this posture. Kneeling near full flexion was reported as the most frequently used posture by all job classifications and was likely due to the fact that it requires the least amount of muscle activity to maintain and has reduced pressures at the knee. However, the authors recommend this posture be avoided when performing lateral lifting tasks. Like squatting, kneeling near full flexion results in increased femoral rollback and may increase the stresses applied to the meniscus. Unlike lateral lifting, maintaining a static posture results in knee loading and muscle activity such that the mine worker should consider kneeling near full flexion and sitting on their heels. Although kneeling near full flexion is associated with injuries, there are benefits to this posture that are realized when statically kneeling (minimal muscle activity, allows worker to maintain an upright torso in low heights, and decreased loading at the knee). However, cartilage is avascular and nourished by synovial fluid. Therefore, one should frequently rotate between postures, assuming a more upright kneeling posture when possible and frequently fully flexing and extending the knee allowing nutrients to the cartilage. Relevance to industry: In 2009, over one fourth of underground coal mines that produced coal in the United States were considered low seam with an average working height of <109.2 cm (MSHA, 2009) restricting workers to their knees. Data exists regarding the biomechanical implications of kneeling postures and demonstrates the possibility of detrimental consequences to varying degrees for each posture. With each posture posing a different level of exposure to musculoskeletal disorder risk factors, it is essential to determine the postures mine workers use to perform their job tasks and how their postural options are restricted by the low-seam underground mining environment. |
Forces and moments on the knee during kneeling and squatting
Pollard JP , Porter WL , Redfern MS . J Appl Biomech 2011 27 (3) 233-41 Euler angle decomposition and inverse dynamics were used to determine the knee angles and net forces and moments applied to the tibia during kneeling and squatting with and without kneepads for 10 subjects in four postures: squatting (Squat), kneeling on the right knee (One Knee), bilateral kneeling near full flexion (Near Full) and bilateral kneeling near 90 degrees flexion (Near 90). Kneepads affected the knee flexion (p = .002), medial forces (p = .035), and internal rotation moments (p = .006). Squat created loading conditions that had higher varus (p < .001) and resultant moments (p = .027) than kneeling. One Knee resulted in the highest force magnitudes and net moments (p < .001) of the kneeling postures. Thigh-calf and heel-gluteus contact forces decreased the flexion moment on average by 48% during Squat and Near Full. |
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