Musculoskeletal Health Research to Benefit Surface Stone, Sand, and Gravel Miners

Figure 1: Surface miner places bags connected pallets.

In October 2017, nan NIOSH Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector Program published nan first blog station successful a bid to item musculoskeletal wellness investigation astatine NIOSH. This post—the 5th installment successful nan series—will talk really champion to beforehand musculoskeletal wellness and trim nan incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among aboveground stone, sand, and gravel excavation workers.

As of 2015, 80% of progressive aboveground mining operations were extracting stone, sand, and gravel. A mostly of job-related tasks successful aboveground mining require workers to support awkward postures, execute repetitive movements, and run vibrating machinery. Surface excavation workers often create musculoskeletal injuries successful nan back, fingers, knees, and shoulders1. According to nan NIOSH Mining Program, 39% of nonfatal lost-time injuries betwixt 2011 and 2015 progressive handling materials, pinch sprains and strains being nan astir often reported injury2. Handling materials during loading and unloading aliases instrumentality attraction and repair is simply a predominant origin of musculoskeletal disorders among aboveground excavation workers successful minerals processing plants4. In galore cases, nan contributing factors for MSDs successful stone, sand, and gravel operations are mostly preventable done workplace design, usage of correct tools, due housekeeping, and instrumentality modifications. NIOSH has conducted investigation and developed devices to thief excavation workers place and remediate consequence factors. Examples of immoderate of that investigation follows.

NIOSH Resources (chronologically listed by publication date)

Mining Publication: Simple Solutions for Surface Mine Workers  This booklet provides examples of solutions and task creation ideas you tin usage to trim risks for MSDs and slips, trips, and falls.

Figure 3: Surface miner reaches overhead to substance machinery.

Mining Product: ErgoMine  ErgoMine is an ergonomics audit instrumentality designed specifically for mining. It includes audits for bagging, haul truck, and attraction and repair operations astatine aboveground mining and processing facilities.

Ergonomics Processes: Implementation Guide and Tools for nan Mining Industry  This archive helps mining companies found ergonomics processes and programs astatine their excavation site. It includes training for guidance and miners, arsenic good arsenic implementation devices that tin beryllium utilized to prioritize tasks for redesign, study excavation workers for existent musculoskeletal discomfort, and find nan effect of improvements done before-and-after comparisons.

Mining Product: Ergonomics and Risk Factor Awareness Training for Miners  The training is designed specifically for nan mining manufacture to summation miners’ consciousness of consequence factors and promote miners to return action to study and trim their exposures to consequence factors. It includes everything needed to supply ergonomics training astatine a excavation site.

Recent Research Initiatives

The NIOSH Mining Program’s caller and existent investigation is focused connected providing devices to thief miners place consequence factors and instrumentality ergonomics interventions.  Products designed to forestall MSDs successful mining see user-friendly package and a wide assortment of training resources.3 One investigation merchandise intends to measure nan appropriateness of utilizing a mobile app to find mobile instrumentality operators’ whole-body vibration exposure. By looking astatine publically disposable MSD information and conducting excavation tract visits, NIOSH researchers and different occupational wellness professionals strive not only to trim MSDs but to amended understand human-machine interactions amidst nan changing quality of mining activity environments.

Add a remark beneath astir really you person utilized NIOSH musculoskeletal wellness research to beforehand wellness and information successful nan section of mining. Have a mobility aliases different comment? We’d emotion to perceive it.

Emily Warner, MA, is an ORISE Fellow successful nan NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology.

Jonisha Pollard, MS, CPE, is nan Team Leader of nan Musculoskeletal Disorders Prevention Team successful nan NIOSH Mining Program.

Valerie Coughanour, MA, MFA, is simply a Health Communication Specialist successful nan NIOSH Mining Program.

Jack Lu, PhD, CPE, is simply a Research Ergonomist successful nan NIOSH Division of Applied Research and Technology and Manager of nan NIOSH Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector Program.

Missed nan first 4 blog installments successful nan Musculoskeletal Health Research astatine NIOSH series? Read them here:

• Blog Series to Highlight Musculoskeletal Health Research astatine NIOSH
• Musculoskeletal Health Research to Benefit Temporary Retail Workers
• Musculoskeletal Health Research to Benefit Couriers, Messengers, and Baggage Handlers
• Musculoskeletal Health Research to Benefit Construction Workers

References

1. National Institute for Workplace Safety and Health. Mining: Mining Facts- 2015. Updated August 8, 2017.
2. National Institute for Workplace Safety and Health. Mining: Data & Statistics. Updated May 22, 2017.
3. National Institute for Workplace Safety and Health. Mining Program. Updated June 2, 2017.
4. NIOSH. Mining: Identification of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders. Updated June 12, 2016.