PURPOSE:  Prevent fatalities and injuries associated with materials handling in underground metal and nonmetal mines and in Western surface mining operations.

RESEARCH SUMMARY:  Handling materials by lifting, pulling, pushing, and shoveling (MSHA classification code 09) has been the leading cause of accidents in the U.S. mining industry for every year between 1994 and 2003. The incident rate over this time was slightly more than 2 accidents per 100 employees, not including contractors. During this 10-year period, 58,491 reportable accidents resulted in over 1,000,000 actual days lost from work. In 2003, materials handling was the leading class of reportable mining accidents in every state except Delaware. In the West, stone mines led the way in materials-handling accidents with 3,298 accidents from 1999 through 2003, followed by metal mines (2,537 accidents) and sand-and-gravel operations (1,488 accidents). In every year between 1994 and 2003 except one, the activity of loading and unloading supplies or materials (MSHA activity code 028) caused more accidents in Western mines than any other activity. Many of these accidents were due to manually lifting, pulling, and/or carrying loads that turned out to be too heavy.

Because work tasks in the mining industry are so diverse, the intent of this research was never to conduct detailed ergonomic investigations, but to recommend specific tasks for detailed ergonomic analysis in other PRL or SRL projects; find the contributing factors in materials-handling injuries; develop interventions; and assure delivery to and implementation by industry of useful products. This work is to be accomplished by developing partnerships and conducting investigations in Western stone, sand and gravel, and metal/nonmetal mines; developing training and physical fitness programs designed to prevent materials-handling injuries; conducting national and international searches for proven systems, techniques, and devices that have reduced or replaced manual tasks; and assessing the effectiveness of injury reduction efforts.

In the last 3 years, SRL’s materials-handling research has been specifically directed to investigating two of the top three tasks that cause the most injuries in underground coal mines - loading and unloading supplies and materials and moving power cables. Two mechanical aids have been developed for loading/unloading tasks: the mobile manipulator system and the in-mine hoist. A third study involves seeking methods to automate cable handling. We have also developed an innovative in-mine training aid on safe ways to perform certain materials-handling tasks in underground coal mines and developed the concept of sharing safety solutions. Two safety solutions have been placed on the NIOSH mining Web site.