NIOSH Mining Safety Idea

Ideas to Reduce Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders


Brattice Sprayer


Old Way:Mix mortar in a wheelbarrow or a bucket. Then use a trowel, brush, or hand to spread mortar over the face of the brattice. The risks include heavy lifting, wrist motion, overhead reaching and frequent trunk bending.
New Way:A pump and spray gun are used to spray a premixed mortar solution onto the stopping. The pump and mortar solution are kept on a scoop, so that the brattice man only has to handle the spray gun. This solution completely eliminates the bending and reaching associated with the traditional method. It can also result in great time savings.

Applying mortor with a trowel  Spraying mortor
Old Way New Way
Page last updated: 9/17/2008
Page last reviewed: 5/28/2008
Content Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Mining Division