Authors
Moore-S; Bauer-E; Steiner-L
Source
2007 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit, February 25-28, Denver Colorado, Preprint 07-067. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2007 Feb; :1-4
Abstract
Technological advances in underground coal mining have led to a reduction in fatalities. This study demonstrated that the percentage of cumulative injuries remained largely unchanged across two decades of technological advances (1983-1984: 37%; 2003-2004: 33%). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the average number of lost days due to cumulative injuries has increased (36+/-55 days and 62+/-82 days, respectively) which may have been due to the increased age of the work force or an increase in length of employment meaning that the mine workers injured in 2003-2004 had been exposed to ergonomic risk factors longer than those in 1983-1984. It is recommended that ergonomics processes be implemented as a means to systematically identify, prioritize, and resolve the root causes of these cumulative injuries.
Keywords
Mining-industry; Underground-mining; Safety-research; Coal-mining; Injury-prevention; Accident-prevention; Ergonomics; Cumulative-trauma; Cumulative-trauma-disorders
Contact
NIOSH Pittsburgh Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 18070, Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Document Type
Conference/Symposia Proceedings
Source Name
2007 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit, February 25-28, Denver Colorado, Preprint 07-067