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. Traditionally, fighter pilots learned to recognize targets by studying photos taken under the best of conditions (a "highlighted" training approach). However, research showed that the pilots did better when trained with less than ideal ("degraded") pictures of the targets. "Degraded" refers to pictures where cloud cover, rain, poor weather conditions, natural barriers, buildings, or other obstructions partially hide the object - conditions that pilots would likely encounter in real life. We are currently working with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Easter Community College to develop a "degraded" hazard recognition training package for the mining industry.
| Author(s): | Kowalski-KM |
| Reference: | Holmes Saf Assn Bull 1997 Nov, Falls Church, VA: U.S. Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration; :p 19 |
http://holmessafety.org/1997/NOV97.pdf (PDF, 1020 KB)
