Training Downloadable Mining Publications

This NIOSH pilot project demonstrated that US mines have the capability to successfully implement an MHRA and that the basic requirement for a successful MHRA is the desire to become more proactive in reducing risks associated with events that can cause multiple fatalities. (PDF, 1862 KB, 2008-10)

This paper presents some findings obtained from interviews with coal miners about why supervisors sometimes fail to enforce an important mine safety rule. It also contains a few suggestions addressing what could be done to help supervisors perform this job function more effectively. (PDF, 107 KB, 1999)

Dirty worker clothing has been identified as a source of exposure to respirable dust. If this respirable dust contains silica it may cause the inhaler to develop Silicosis, an irreversible lung disease. NIOSH and Unimin Corporation, the largest manufacturer of silica sand in the United States, have developed a new method for cleaning dusty work clothes.  (PDF, 804 KB, 2004)

The document contains the printed material that is part of the training package Coaching Skills for On-The-Job Trainers. It describes how to develop or manage an on-the-job training program so that information is passed on from trainer/coach to trainee efficiently and effectively. (PDF, 1702 KB, 2005)

This paper describes the findings of a project that was developed to systematically document how workers react to wearing the PDM and evaluate how it is used on the job.  (PDF, 188 KB, 2008-04)

Multiple versions of an educational message can reach a diverse population more effectively than a single version. For instance, some workers are trained in formal classrooms while others are self-taught. This paper will describe additional advantages and disadvantages of different delivery systems and will show what considerations are helpful in designing content that can be readily adapted to alternate presentations. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

NIOSH is developing computer programs that will be used to educate mine workers on the hazards of mining, as well as train miners in evacuation routes and evacuation procedures. (PDF, 191 KB, 1999-12)

This paper discusses the application of a training intervention that uses degraded images for improving the hazard recognition skills of miners. (PDF, 427 KB, 2003)

On-the-job training (OJT) is a very common method of teaching job skills. Health, safety, and operational skills can be connected through training. Haul truck operator training is used to illustrate some of the concepts discussed in this paper. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

This field trial of the Work Crew Performance Model affirms the congruency between production and operator training by providing a unique cost linkage between performance engineering and human behavior. (PDF, 640 KB, 1996)

This document contains most of the materials needed to conduct a training exercise for remote control miner operators and face crews. (PDF, 3025 KB, 1999-10)

This paper reviews the basics of developing safety interventions aimed at improving worker performance and describes approaches for maintaining program effectiveness. Emphasis is given to identifying performance discrepancies (hazardous behaviors) by observations (safety sampling), accident data analysis, and input from workers and supervisors. (PDF, 8693 KB, 1994)

Toolbox training is often described as short, informal training conducted at a worksite by technically competent persons for the benefit of a work team. The key feature of toolbox training is the focus on a work team and what is important to that group in its workplace. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

Recent studies have shown that miners performing construction, maintenance, and repair (CMR) work activities in the conduct of their jobs incur from 39 to 65 percent of all reported injuries in the mining industry. To address this issue, an interactive, 3-D slides training exercise, Hazard Recognition Training Program for Construction, Maintenance and Repair Activities, was developed. (PDF, 483 KB, 2000-08)

This report describes a project in which Development of a Supervisory and Management Training Program for the Underground Coal mining Industry was developed and evaluated. (PDF, 1609 KB, 1983-05)

A description of the development process and results of safety training projects. (PDF, 188 KB, 2001-02)
                                                                      

The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) conducted experiments to determine if training using a latent- image, three-dimensional (3-D) slide simulation exercise improved miners' abiity to recognize roof and rib hazards. The effectiveness of this innovative type of classroom training was investigated by measuring workers' performance on a hazard recognition task. The study was unique in that hazard recognition skills were assessed in the workplace using actual coal mine roof and rib hazards. Results showed that training with a latent-image, 3- D slide simulation exercise significantly improved each subject's performance on the in-inine hazard recognition task. Further, the USBM researchers concluded that transfer of learning from the classroom to the workplace occurred. (PDF, 11171 KB, 1995)

This training material focuses on the content of emergency warning messages. Research has shown that when an emergency occurs, people often do not get the information they need for the purpose of taking appropriate action. (PDF, 256 KB, 1999-10)

This paper describes technology and realistic training simulations that have been identified for the general workforce and mine emergency responders. (PDF, 185 KB, 2001)

The intent of this article is to provide guidance to mine operators concerning the use of four techniques for influencing mine employees to work safely: (1) employee surveys, (2) incentives, (3) fear communications, and (4) disciplinary actions. (PDF, 52 KB, 1995)

A major concern in the mining industry today is how to train the present aging workforce plus the expected influx of new and less experienced miners and mine operators as the cohort of older workers retire. (PDF, 310 KB, 2001-08)

The motivation behind this investigation was to apply an established theory to better understand three potential antecedents to intentions toward wearing hearing protection among coal miners. (PDF, 847 KB, 2008-02)

A field test of the NIOSH-developed training product "I Can't Get Enough Air" was conducted to determine if it led to improvements in miner's scores on a true/false test of their SCSR's functional capabilities and proper usage. (PDF, 432 KB, 2004)

Often the interpretations of rules pertaining to machine guarding lead to a variety of guarding applications at the worksite. This paper describes a training intervention that offers an opportunity to apply general guarding rules and regulations to a specific situation. This type of training may be useful in defining and seeking solutions to the apparent variability in the interpretation and application of guarding requirements. (PDF, 8693 KB, 1994)

A discussion of existing minerals education activities and tips for developing successful programs. (PDF, 222 KB, 2001-02)
                                                    

The first step to emergency preparedness is defining and analyzing hazards. Although all hazards should be addressed, resource limitations usually do not allow this to happen all at once. (PDF, 755 KB, 1999-10)

This paper discusses the training needs of the younger generation of inexperienced workers who have just entered or are soon to enter the mines. Currently, many trainers are of the so-called Baby Boom generation. Can these different age groups learn to communicate across the generation gap? (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

This material was presented at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) open-industry briefing held during the 2004 Northwest Mining Association conference in Spokane, WA. It discusses results of recently completed and on-going mine safety- and health-related research conducted at NIOSH's Spokane and Pittsburgh Research Laboratories on the human side of mining - the miner. It discusses the zero-injury concept and how that goal can be achieved. (PDF, 3158 KB, 2006)

This report is intended to help mine safety trainers better prepare to teach the influx of new underground coal miners who are entering the industry by identifying two different approaches to instruction and discussing the ways they may affect how well prepared new hires are to deal with a dynamic and hazardous workplace. (PDF, 291 KB, 2008-01)

Many miners are involved in tasks at the mine site that are similar to those subtasks performed in general construction, maintenance and repair (CMR) type work activities. The degraded image concept is used, it was originally developed by the military and used for target detection training, describes scenes where the target is partially hidden by cloud cover, dust, rain, natural barriers, buildings, or other obstructions that can camouflage or confuse the target. (PDF, 652 KB, 1999-10)

This is the Instructor's Copy of the document. This document contains most of the materials needed to use the exercises on proper self-contained self-rescuer usage. (PDF, 3660 KB, 1999-10)

After thoroughly covering the health and safety training subjects required under Title 30, Part 48, of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), mine operators often find themselves with little or no time left in the class schedule for other important topics. This paper discusses a technique developed in partnership with RAG Twentymile Coal Co., Oak Creek, CO, for incorporating employee participation at all levels in fire prevention and safe equipment operation training outside of traditional classrooms. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

Instructor's guide and materials to provide training on investigation of slip/fall accidents. (PDF, 11703 KB, 1999-10)
                                                          

This paper reviews research from the U.S. mining community to define issues relevant to an evolving national and international workforce and relate them to the emergency response population. (PDF, 740 KB, 2002-05)

This report describes a process called job training analysis (JTA) for quickly developing information that is useful for skills training. Its main use is to structure skills training at the jobsite by identifying job duties, tasks, and steps and the reasons why those job components are important. The outcome of the process is a worksheet - a training outline based on the knowledge and expertise of experienced workers. Time invested in developing a JTA will save significantly more time when it is used appropriately by skilled trainers. (PDF, 927 KB, 2006-08)

This proceedings volume presents several new developments that are helping to improve the quality and efficiency of health, safety, and occupational skills training in the mining community. Several papers address the issue of how to teach and assess miner abilities to deal with underground mine emergencies. Other papers examine practical procedures for defining and cost-justifying the integration of structured training and other performance improvement strategies to enhance the proficiency of the work system.  (PDF, 7399 KB, 1988)

The Miner Training Simulator (MTS) is a computer based tool that allows a trainee to enter a simulated mine and interact with his/her surroundings in order to learn basic mining concepts, safety procedures, mine layouts, and escape routes. (PDF, 454 KB, 2001-06)

This NIOSH paper documents coal miners´ reactions to the new Personal Dust Monitor (PDM), and how they make use of the information th PDM provides. (PDF, 2423 KB, 2007)

This report summarizes a field study by NIOSH that documented the reactions of 30 miners at 4 underground coal mines concerning the use of personal dust monitors (PDMs) and how they make use of the information it provides. (PDF, 285 KB, 2008-02)

This paper introduces a technique for incorporating employee participation into the prevention component of a contingency plan. (PDF, 29 KB, 1999-04)
                        

This paper presents an overview of a series of studies related to self-contained self-rescuer donning proficiency. (PDF, 5325 KB, 1993)
                                     

Interest in training evaluation in the mining industry was piqued with the promulgation of Title 30, Part 46, of the Code of Federal Regulations. Under Part 46.3, a training plan is considered to be approved if it contains certain information, including "the evaluation procedures used to determine the effectiveness of training." The training evaluation worksheet at the end of this paper can be used to guide evaluation planning. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

This paper summarized the past 20 years of U/S. research to ensure that underground coal miners work safely. (PDF, 1045 KB, 1997)
                                           

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is expanding the knowledge and expertise of its mine rescue teams through innovative training technologies. Full-scale mine rescue simulations, including working in theatrical smoke, have become routine for Pennsylvania mine rescue team members. Now Pennsylvania is transforming its mine rescue training by incorporating computer simulation. These new training programs help to produce mine rescue teams that understand effective emergency response at the mine rescue level and the command center level. (PDF, 695 KB, 2002-02)

Studies summarized in this paper include: (a) the development and assessment of training techniques that strengthen miners' ability to act competently in emergencies; (b) investigations of classroom simulations that enhance the perceptual, judgment and decision making skills of workers confronted with mine hazards; and (c) field studies of the linkages between financial investments in occupational skills training and measurable outcomes. (PDF, 656 KB, 2000)

Discusses the principals of adult learning based on research in education and psychology, and stresses the importance of taking a systems approach to training. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

The mentor/learner model is a time-honored approach to teaching, including within the mining industry. Building upon concepts in current theories of adult education, this paper highlights the unique advantages of using mentoring as a teaching method that can make the educational experience both interesting and effective. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

A comprehensive review of published research was carried out to identify methods for teaching and assessing critical but nonroutine skills for coping with emergency situations. (PDF, 4637 KB, 1988-06)

This trainer's guide is designed as a reference manual. The purpose is to offer information and examples to skills trainers to assist them in structuring training for new operators of Walk-Thru roof bolting machines. Trainers can use this manual as a resource for helping trainees learn, understand, and apply knowledge and skills. (PDF, 1271 KB, 2006-08)

Safety and health professionals recognize that training is a critical element of any effective safety and health program. Of present major concern in the mining industry is how to provide appropriate training for an aging workforce and concurrently develop training for the expected influx of new and less experienced miners as older workers retire. (PDF, 207 KB, 2004-07)

This NIOSH Information Circular presents basic principles for teaching adults and provides examples of how these principles can be used to develop and implement effective training for miners. (PDF, 492 KB, 2002-09)

Miners, like many skilled blue-collar workers, are not traditional learners. They have not always been successful in classroom-type settings, preferring to learn on the job in a hands-on environment. (PDF, 286 KB, 2003-10)

NIOSH has developed the Hazard Recognition Training Program for Underground Limestone to teach miners to recognize visual cues that distinguish poor ground conditions. (PDF, 86 KB, 1998-05)

This video, entitled "Ground Support...It's Important, or Miner Mike Saves the Day," presents information on why ground supports work and how to install them properly. (PDF, 533 KB, 2000-07)

Scaling, the removal of loose rock from the roofs and walls of a mine by manual or mechanized means, may be necessary during any stage of mining. Manual scaling is very labor intensive, and mechanical methods can be too powerful and actually produce a less stable roof. (PDF, 1106 KB, 2001-01)

Two new videos are now being released. Both of these videos were shot completely in operating underground hard-rock mines and used expert miners to tell the story. (PDF, 848 KB, 2001-06)

This video showcases Jim Mortensen, a "gypo" miner for nearly 40 years in a deep, underground silver mine in the west. (PDF, 860 KB, 2002-03)
                                 

During an interview, Mr Kuhn spent about two hours describing the Farmington disaster, including the workplace climate leading up to the explosion, the events that took place in the 10 days after the explosion, and the nearly 10-year effort to safely and successfully recover most of the victims' bodies. This is the edited version of that interview. (PDF, 986 KB, 2002-03)

MERITS simulates underground and surface events related to the disaster. It exposes the user to events that typically occur during a mine emergency, such as lack of information and miscommunication. It also presents trainees with issues that must be addressed, such as making provisions for briefing news media and victims' families, ordering needed supplies, interfacing with Government enforcement agencies, and housing mine rescue teams. (PDF, 455 KB, 2002-06)

Experience, it is said, is the best teacher. Some experiences, however, should be shared so that no one else will ever have to live through them again. The fire at the Sunshine Mine is one such experience. (PDF, 173 KB, 2002-08)

Discusses a video developed by NIOSH to provide safety training for workers in aggregate operations. Although the target audience was primarily new hires, the finished video was also to be relevant to more experienced workers. (PDF, 644 KB, 2003)

Investigators collaborated to develop a new training module that would address the hazards of working around highwalls. Such a module would be applicable to surface mines and road construction sites, both of which require personnel to work under and on top of steep and often unstable slopes. (PDF, 163 KB, 2004-08)

The "Emergency Communication Triangle" safety talk focuses on the content of emergency warning messages. It presents a procedure using mental cues that can be used by senders and receivers of emergency warnings. (PDF, 300 KB, 2004-09)

Describes a guide for developing an effective formalized on-the-job (OJT) program. The guide contains materials and suggestions for conducting a 1-day workshop for teaching OJT trainers how to be better coaches to less experienced workers. It incorporates training methods that ensure a trainee will absorb the information presented rather than simply emulate what the instructor is teaching. (PDF, 77 KB, 2006)

NIOSH has released a new report entitled "Roof Bolting Machine Operators Skills Training for a Walk-Thru Roof Bolter: Trainer's Guide" (IC 9489). It is designed to help safety trainers develop structured training for new operators of walk-thru bolting machines. (PDF, 1129 KB, 2007-06)

Adult learning theories, social learning theories, mentoring, and storytelling were all employed in the development of a series of safety training videos that have become very popular in the mining industry. This Report of Investigations describes the theoretical frameworks that were used, the process that was developed to produce the videos, and the results of the evaluations as to whether or not they were effective in training new and experienced miners. (PDF, 2362 KB, 2005-08)

This paper discusses the social and cultural power of stories, and how they have been used to develop training for skilled blue-collar workers. (PDF, 163 KB, 2007)

A discussion of how training videos created to get safety messages to miners were developed, how "master miners" and story lines were chosen, and how the resulting videos have been received in the mining industry. (PDF, 229 KB, 2003-03)

This NIOSH Toolbox Training program contains 52 different modules designed to stimulate safety discussions among employees. Each module is intended to be completed in roughly 10 or 15 minutes, so a Toolbox Training session can be conducted once a week for the entire year. (PDF, 18451 KB, 2004-08)

The most hazardous work environments share one feature in common: constant change. Many different, but constantly changing hazards are found in agriculture, construction, mining, and transport. The authors propose a preliminary typology of dynamic and hazardous work environments, along with a schema to systematically observe the dynamic characteristics of these hazards. (PDF, 265 KB, 2001-12)

This is the first of two articles which report the responses from experts when asked how they think people who may have to respond to a future mine emergency should be trained. (PDF, 1759 KB, 1997-10)

This is the second of two articles which report experts responses to questions about training for future mine emergencies. During the interviews they discussed how training should be conducted, who should be trained, and what topics should be included. This article will cover the third area: Topics that should be included in training for mine emergency response managers.  (PDF, 1044 KB, 1997-11)

What do fighter pilots and miners have in common? They are learning to recognize hazards using the "degraded" technique developed by the U.S. military. This short article presents description and examples of the technique. (PDF, 1020 KB, 1997-11)

From 1987 through 1996, 13 fatalities occurred at underground operations in the U.S. stone mining industry. Investigators at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Pittsburgh Research Center have developed a training module specifically designed for improving the hazard recognition skills of miners in this segment of the industry. (PDF, 444 KB, 1998-11)

This study reports the results of a survey of organizations that used problem-solving simulation exercises to support mine health and safety training. Recommendations are offered for the continuation and expansion of simulation exercises as one method for occupational health and safety training. (PDF, 443 KB, 2001-09)

Well-prepared personnel and an effective emergency response plan are essential components of any emergency command center. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is developing an Internet-based, computer simulation training package for the mining industry. (PDF, 222 KB, 2000-05)

The use of virtual reality (VR) technologies to train miners is an evolving area in research and development. In July 2006, representatives of 14 international organizations met to discuss current VR-related efforts and explore ways to employ VR in the future. This paper gives an overview of the various approaches presented at the meeting and discusses directions for future implementation. (PDF, 1023 KB, 2007-02)

This Instructor's Copy contains most of the information needed to use the Wearing Hearing Protection Properly 3-D training reel. It offers practical suggestions on how to use the reel as a training aid, performance objectives for deciding if the training is appropriate for your needs, and discussion notes that provide additional information to the user. (PDF, 2664 KB, 2004-11)

This paper discusses a practical method for enhancing the performance of mining work crews. The method, described as the Work Crew Performance Model, seeks to define performance variability within similar tasks of an underground work crew. (PDF, 1476 KB, 1994)