ERGONOMICS OF MINING: Experience may soon give way to technology

The science of the workplace environment, called ergonomics, takes on special meaning underground. After all, there aren’t many workplaces that have solid rock above, below and beside the worker. Falls of rock, called loose, are probably the most hazardous of all daily underground occurrences. And for years only experienced miners could assess with any degree of accuracy the size of a given piece of loose.

But in less than two years, HDRK Mining Research Ltd. could be marketing a device that senses and assesses loose rock underground. The device can be mounted on a mechanized hydraulic scaler or on any other carrier.

HDRK, owned equally by Falconbridge Ltd., Inco Ltd. and Noranda, has been developing a loose rock sensing system since 1984. It had discovered that mechanized scalers had a fault — distinguishing between loose and solid rock. In many instances, an operator would have to work under potentially bad ground just to detect loose.

The HDRK system is proprietary. But in a paper prepared for the 60th Annual Meeting and Technical Sessions of the Mines Accident Prevention Association Ontario (MAPAO), it was revealed that the system consists of an automated signal generator and processor and a software package. After striking the rock face, the sensor interprets “sounding” phenomena qualitatively and quantitatively.

Experimental and field prototypes were contracted to AECL Research Chalk River Laboratories and tested at the Kidd Creek mine and at Inco’s Copper Cliff South mine. The device should be on the market by 1993.

Training

The following excerpt was taken from a paper describing a mine contracting company’s initial experience with the Loss Control program. The paper was delivered at the 60th Annual Meeting and Technical Sessions of the Mines Accident Prevention Association Ontario by R.S. Brown and Ron Dion of J.S. Redpath Ltd.

We have noticed in the first year and a half since the introduction of Loss Control that a number of good things have resulted which have benefitted our company, as well as the employees within the (Loss-Control) Group.

1. We are all better at investigating accidents and incidents. As all accidents/incidents are investigated more people have become involved in the process, learning how it works, offering solutions, and giving us better results. (In 1988, we had a combined total of 356 medical aid and lost-time accidents [299 medical aids, 57 lost-time accidents]; in 1989, the combined total was 151 [133 medical aids, 18 lost-time accidents] for an overall total of 507 accident investigations in two years as compared with 589 in 1990.)

2. Our employees are developing a sense that they are indeed contributing members of the Group and that they have valuable information to share. Employees are starting to feel they will be heard.

3. Everyone in the Group is much more aware of the cost of damage and loss.

4. The ongoing analysis of damage and process loss has provided us with a different focus in our efforts to prevent future occurrences.

5. Our process of circulating information has greatly improved.

Our advice to anyone considering adopting a Loss Control program is to:

1. Get a serious commitment from the top (managers) before becoming involved. Senior management must actively participate if the program is to be successful.

2. Have all your staff and supervisors well educated in the program and 100% behind it as soon as possible.

3. Sell the program to your employees by convincing them that they really matter, that they can contribute, and that their contributions through incident reporting and participation in investigations can really prevent loss and injury.

4. Get your Loss Control committee set up and organized before introducing the program to your company. Work with the Loss Control Co-ordinator to set up a process to complete and review accident/incident investigations, and to make the required changes in procedures, maintenance programs, training, or whatever is recommended by the investigation committee.

5. Feedback and communication are paramount to the success of the Loss Control program. Put a good communication system in place and ensure feedback to report originators. Their contributions make the program work, so you must encourage them to continue contributing.

6. Recognize the outstanding efforts of participants in the Loss Control program through writeups in bulletins or in the company paper. Recognition is important to the success of the program — you’ll get some employees who are very keen participants while others will only become involved by observing what happens and who is recognized.

7. Last, be prepared for setbacks — they will happen. It is difficult to keep up the enthusiasm.

The key to the success of a Loss Control program is holding regular formal meetings where you openly and honestly review what is going on, where the program is going, and, finally, make the necessary changes to reduce or eliminate loss.