Citation

Whitaker LA, Shoptaugh CF. Proc. Hum. Factors Ergon. Soc. Annu. Meet. 1984; 28(5): 476-477.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/154193128402800520

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Modern surface mine safety and productivity data were summarized as part of the Bureau of Mines Industrial Hazards/Human Factors program. Safety Information was obtained through mine site visits (observations and interviews), national actuarial statistics, tables, and MSHA accident reports. The examination of 148 accidents showed three specific contributing factors. First, mining is a rugged industry in which the environment is unstable and unpredictable. This unpredictability contributes to both accident incidence and severity. Second, large vehicles (120 ton haulpacks) move, fully loaded among small vehicles and people. This mismatch in size makes a collision a very severe accident. Finally, job design was found to be a contributing factor in accidents. Sixty-seven percent of the sampled accidents involved the misuse of a tool or procedure. These are not random errors, but reflect short cuts the workers take to save energy and increase productivity. It was proposed that correct job procedures would not be followed if the more efficient shortcuts were available. Consequently, the next step in this program is to develop modified job procedures for a few selected tasks. These procedures would be redesigned to improve efficiency and avoid the safety hazards found in the workers' make shift shortcuts. This approach changes the focus from emphasizing safety to emphasizing productivity through the design of safe and efficient job procedures.

Language: en