Many of the simplest ideas for improving safety are the best! The ideas presented here have come from miners, mining safety professionals, and NIOSH research. We think all of the suggestions will be useful to the industry. Please let us know if you have any ideas to contribute!

Ideas to Reduce Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

There is compelling evidence that Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs) affect mineworkers to a greater degree than workers in other industries. For example, studies have shown that miners experience more disability from knee and back pain, more absenteeism, more osteoarthritis, and more disk degeneration than comparison industrial populations.

• Belt Cleanup
• Brattice Sprayer Instead Of Brush
• Cable Hanging
• Cable Management
• Healthy Knees - 'Flush' Your Knees
• Healthy Knees - Reduce Twisting
• Healthy Knees - Vary Your Posture
• Kneepad Seat
• Lift Handles on Heavy Objects
• Lifting Roof Support Rail
• Man Door Pressure Release
• Rail Unloading Device
• Ramp Eliminates Need To Hang Cable
• Roof Bolt Bender
• Scaling Roof
• Work in Neutral Postures When Possible

Ideas to Reduce Roof Fall Injuries

Between 1996 and 1998, nearly half of all underground fatalities were attributed to roof, rib and face falls.

• Make Bolting Safer with Roof Screen
• Protective Canopy for Remote Control Operators
• Simple Roof Bolting Guide