A COMPENDIUM OF NIOSH MINING RESEARCH 2002 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Washington, DC December 2001 ORDERING INFORMATION Copies of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) documents and information about occupational safety and health are available from NIOSH–Publications Dissemination 4676 Columbia Parkway Cincinnati, OH 45226-1998 FAX: 513-533-8573 Telephone: 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.cdc.gov/niosh This document is the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted. Disclaimer: Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by NIOSH. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-110 FOREWORD The mining community serves the needs of our Nation in virtually every aspect of our daily lives by providing the materials we use for construction, electronics, manufacturing, energy, agriculture, medicine, and electricity. This industry has demonstrated time and time again an almost unbelievable ability to rise to any and all challenges it faces. Productivity has increased over the past 20 years to levels never before imagined, and the industry operates in one of the most difficult and challenging environments imaginable. The professionalism and pride of our mine workers are unmatched throughout the world, and our mining community is held in the highest regard around the globe. Interactions with mining professionals from other countries have always left me with a deep feeling of respect for what our mining community accomplishes. The recent tragedy we faced with the coal mine explosion in Alabama is a reminder to all of us about the dangers of rock and mineral extraction. The miners who lost their lives in the explosion included a group that went back to the working area of the mine in an attempt to rescue others. In the mining environment, all workers tend to be first responders and are always concerned about the welfare of their brothers and sisters. While we have achieved great success in almost eliminating mine explosions, we must be forever vigilant to ensure that changing geological conditions do not compromise the safety of mining operations. We are mining at deeper levels than ever, producing rocks and minerals at far greater rates, and operating increasingly complex mining systems, all in an environment that is best described as challenging and hostile. In order to ensure the safety and health of our precious resource—the mine worker—we must all work together toward the common goal of protecting the worker. The NIOSH mining research program will continue to serve the needs of the mining community by being a strong advocate for safety and health. Our goal is the protection of the mine worker, and we will continue to conduct research toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that mining personnel are as healthy at the end of their careers as they were at the beginning. The mining research program will address all research areas that have been identified as important to the mining community, and I am proud of our recent accomplishments, many of which are identified in this report. We certainly face a number of challenges in the near future, including loss of experienced mine workers due to retirement, an influx of new, inexperienced workers, more challenging mining conditions, and a global economy that requires extremely efficient and highly productive operations. As the mining community has repeatedly demonstrated in the past, they will rise to the challenges they face, and NIOSH will be there with them. Lewis V. Wade, Ph.D. Associate Director, Office for Mine Safety and Health Research National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health CONTENTS Page HEARING LOSS PREVENTION Investigation of Technology for Hearing Loss Prevention ...................................... 1 Cross-Sectional Survey: Noise Exposure Patterns/Sources ..................................... 2 A Model Hearing Conservation Program for Coal Miners ...................................... 3 Engineering Controls for Hearing Loss Prevention............................................ 4 Definition and Assessment of Engineering Noise Controls ..................................... 5 Investigation of Impulse Noise in Mining................................................... 6 A Health Hazard Study of Surface Drilling Operations ........................................ 7 Evaluating the Role of Positive and Negative Emotion in Promoting Hearing Conservation Behaviors Among Coal Miners ................................................................. 8 DUST MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL Dust Control for Longwall Mining ........................................................ 9 Assessment of Personal Particulate Exposure ................................................ 10 Dust Control in Surface Coal Mining ...................................................... 11 Silica Dust Control in Metal/Nonmetal Mining .............................................. 12 Control of Silica Dust Exposures in Underground Coal Mining .................................. 13 Development of Enhanced Spray Dust Capture Principles for Improved Silica Dust Suppression ....... 14 Characterization of Visual Dust Plumes From Highwall Drills at Surface Coal Mines ................ 15 DIESEL EMISSIONS Reducing Diesel Particulate Exposure in Western Mines ....................................... 16 Diesel Engine Emissions Measurement and Analysis.......................................... 17 Selecting and Evaluating Diesel Emission Controls on Mine Equipment........................... 18 OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS AND HEALTH HAZARDS Particle-Induced Lung Injury in Mixed Exposures ............................................ 19 Effects of Dusts on Asthma and Pulmonary Infectivity ........................................ 20 Environmental Causation of Allergies and Asthma ........................................... 21 Genetic Factors for Silicosis and Lung Cancer in Gold Miners .................................. 22 Portable Monitors for Airborne Metals at Mining Sites ........................................ 23 Characterization and Communication of Chemical Hazards in Mining and Processing ................ 24 Toxic Fumes From Blasting ............................................................. 25 Investigating Air Quality Issues in Metal/Nonmetal Mines ..................................... 26 HAZARD DETECTION AND WARNING DEVICES Safety Enhancements for Off-Highway Dump Trucks ......................................... 27 Mobile Mining Equipment Warning Systems................................................ 28 Evaluating Collision Warning Systems for Construction Equipment .............................. 29 Evaluating Roadway Construction Work Zone Interventions.................................... 30 Lockout/Tagout, Jammed and Moving Machinery Controls ..................................... 31 Advanced Warning of Ground Stability Hazards ............................................. 32 Wide Area Roof Fall Detection and Warning System ......................................... 33 Overhead Power Line Contact Alarm for Mobile Equipment.................................... 34 Investigation of Electromagnetic Precursors to Rock Bursting................................... 35 Smart Fire Sensors .................................................................... 36 INJURY PREVENTION AND EQUIPMENT DESIGN Materials Handling Accident Reduction in Underground Mines ................................. 37 Reducing Injury Risk from Jolting and Jarring on Mobile Equipment ............................. 38 Biomechanical Modeling of Jarring and Jolting .............................................. 39 Ergonomics Interventions in Mining ....................................................... 40 Reducing Slipping and Falling Injuries at Surface Mines ....................................... 41 CONTENTS—Continued Page Human Factors Design for Machine Safety ................................................. 42 Fundamental Studies in Electrical Hazards .................................................. 43 Injury Prevention for Metal/Nonmetal Drilling and Bolting Operations ............................ 44 Safety Issues of Storage and Transport of Bulk Solids ......................................... 45 Evaluation of Heat Stress and Interventions in Surface and Underground Mines ..................... 46 New Technology to Increase ROPS Use on Tractors .......................................... 47 TRAINING AND EDUCATION Interactive Training and Educational Development ........................................... 48 Evaluation of Interactive Mine Safety and Health Training Methods .............................. 49 Evaluating Toolbox Training for Construction and Mining ..................................... 50 Virtual Reality for Mine Safety Training ................................................... 51 Mine Rescue and Response .............................................................. 52 Education and Training for an Evolving Mining Workforce .................................... 53 Intervention Through Education and Training to Prevent Hearing Loss Among Miners ............... 54 GROUND CONTROL Identification and Control of Rock Burst Hazards ............................................ 55 Ground Stability Assessment With Seismic Monitoring ........................................ 56 Development and Evaluation of Innovative Roof 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