A°* ^ V 6°* ■*; \^%V rf>**^.% , *+ a* Safe* * J> *oo< <* *'TT»* -G^ ^5 *0« ''bv* 3 IC 9243 BUREAU OF MINES INFORMATION CIRCULAR/1990 Human Factors in Mining Search System By Richard S. Fowkes and Elaine G. Aiken ^"V°% Q 80 * YEARS ^, **AU OF ^ o BUREAU OF MINES 1910-1990 THE MINERALS SOURCE Mission: As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has respon- sibility for most of our nationally-owned public lands and natural and cultural resources. This includes fostering wise use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, pre- serving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and pro- viding for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also promotes the goals of the Take Pride in America campaign by encouraging stewardship and citizen responsibil- ityforthe public landsand promoting citizen par- ticipation in their care. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reser- vation communities and for people who live in Island Territories under U.S. Administration. Information Circular 9243 Human Factors in Mining Search System By Richard S. Fowkes and Elaine G. Aiken UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Manuel Lujan, Jr., Secretary BUREAU OF MINES T S Ary, Director n0- 4 2^ Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data: Fowkes, Richard S. Human Factors in Mining Search System. (Bureau of Mines information circular, 1988) Supt. of Docs, no.: I 28.27:9243. 1. HFMSS (Information retrieval system) 2. Information storage and retrieval systems-Mine safety. I. Aiken, Elaine G. II. Title. III. Series: Information circular (United States. Bureau of Mines); 9243 TN295.U4 622 s [025'.066228] 88-600407 CONTENTS Page Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Categories 3 Fields 4 Annotated bibliography 7 User's manual 8 Thesaurus 9 Summary 14 Appendix-Example printouts-brief and full-entry formats 15 ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Example of thesaurus key words or descriptors listed by subject category 10 2. Example of thesaurus key words or descriptors in alphabetical order 11 3. Example of thesaurus key words or descriptors listed in alphanumeric sequence by individual accession numbers 12 4. Example of thesaurus accession numbers associated with each key word or descriptor 13 TABLES 1. Categories and accession number ranges for HFMSS 4 2. HFMSS fields 5 HUMAN FACTORS IN MINING SEARCH SYSTEM By Richard S. Fowkes 1 and Elaine G. Aiken 2 ABSTRACT This Bureau of Mines report describes the Human Factors in Mining Search System (HFMSS), a computerized information retrieval system that provides relevant human factors information from journal articles, research reports, seminars, conferences, etc. in terms of 19 mining-related categories. It is the only existing data base that stresses all of the areas of human factors as applied to mining. Examples of these categories are biomechanics and work physiology, human error and human reliability, work design and task analysis, manual materials handling and back injuries, hand tools, organizational and management practices, psychological factors, and training. Although the emphasis is on literature dealing directly with mining, applicable material from other areas of research is included for those categories in which little research has been done in mining. Each record in HFMSS can be recalled by any field such as title, author, date, source, descriptive terms or key words, as well as by any words found in an abstract that describes the purpose, procedure, and results of the research. This report describes HFMSS fields and subject categories, the annotated bibliography, user's manual, and thesaurus of key words. Example printouts in both brief and full formats are included as an appendix. Research physicist, technical information specialist. Pittsburgh Research Center, Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA. INTRODUCTION "Human factors," the term most used in the United States and Canada (elsewhere this field is called ergo- nomics), can be most simply defined as designing for human use. A more detailed definition is the systematic application of relevant information about human char- acteristics, abilities, expectations, and behaviors to the design of machines, tools, facilities, procedures, and environments that people use. The goal of human factors is to enhance the operating efficiency and the health and safety of the people using the system. As part of its mission to promote health and safety in mining, the Bureau of Mines has developed a computer- ized information retrieval system called the Human Fac- tors in Mining Search System (HFMSS). The original title of the project was "Feasibility Study of a Mine Safety and Health Information System." The initial objectives were to identify user interest and information needs and to develop recommendations on the feasibility and priorities of infor- mation to be included in the system. On March 24, 1983, a joint committee of Bureau and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) personnel reviewed the project proposal and recommended that it be initiated. The joint committee also recommended certain modifications in the project proposal, which were made, and the project was retitled "Research To Establish a Mine Safety and Health Information System." The objective was "to research current industry needs for and implement an information retrieval system designed to provide effective human factors information and assistance to the mining industry. This is to be accomplished through a literature search, determination of industry needs, etc." This project was part of a larger project called "Reduction of Human Error Accidents in Underground Mining," a subject of great interest since numerous investigations have shown that most industrial accidents result from human error. Fund- ing was allocated for the project, and work commenced in October 1983. The initial task was to find out if there was any interest within the mining community in having a mine safety and health information system in general, and a human factors in mining information system in particular. Accordingly,. 81 persons were contacted on this subject. They repre- sented the following organizations or disciplines (the numbers in parentheses are the number of persons within the particular organization who discussed this matter): Bureau of Mines (8), MSHA (6), mining equipment design engineers (13), industrial firms that have or have had Government contracts (6), coal mine managers (4), coal mine safety engineers (10), metal and nonmetal mine safety engineers (8), information system specialists (14), universities (10), and associations (2). Both surface and underground mining experts were included. The most important overall conclusions based on these discussions were 1. There is a real need for a human factors mining in- formation system since companies in general are not aware of the advantages to be gained in applying human factors to their mining operations and to equipment design and since no existing data base fulfills their requirement. 2. A major shortcoming in developing and implement- ing an overall safety and health information system is that the large majority of the functions such a system would include are already being covered. For instance, the Beckley Academy of MSHA has its Educational Materials Search System (EMSS), which focuses on training materi- als; the MSHA Health and Safety Analysis Center (HSAC) gathers and interprets mining accident statistics; the Bureau's research centers provide guidance and informa- tion to industry in the centers' research areas, and the Bureau's Pittsburgh Research Center has a Mining Re- search Management Information System (MRMIS), which lists approximately 6,000 Bureau publications. 3. The commercially available occupational health (and sometimes safety) information systems basically keep records on the health and accidents of employees, toxic chemicals, hazardous equipment, etc., and perform bookkeeping-type functions; they are usually large and expensive and are not applicable to the type of information system wanted for this project. 4. Safety engineers and managers at minesites are primarily interested in practical information and personal guidance that will help them in solving day-to-day problems. 5. Most mining people are rather vague in their under- standing of what ergonomics or human factors is. 6. By having a human factors in mining information system available, Government and university personnel will be better able to inform mining company supervisory and safety engineers and equipment design engineers of ways to improve their safety and productivity through applica- tions of human factors. 7. The greatest interest in a mining (not just safety and health) information system is from individuals involved in research or its applications, who work for the Government, at universities, with contractors, or on equipment design. Among the things they want to know is what is being done in and will be coming out of research and development projects. Even practical mining company people show an interest in finding out how they can use research results in solving or at least alleviating their problems. Some want to have access to references on literature dealing with an area or problem they are interested in. 8. A number of these contacts do not believe that the Government is disseminating information as effectively as it could on the results of its in-house and contract research and development. A frequent complaint is that the length of time is takes the Bureau to make the results of its re- search known to the mining industry is much too long. 9. As more mining personnel become computer know- ledgeable and increasingly aware of the importance of human factors considerations in all areas of mining from equipment design to organizational and management prac- tices, the greater the interest will be in a computerized human factors in mining information system. In fact, such a system could potentially enhance the application of human factors to mine planning and problems and to research along human factors lines. Thus, a human factors in mining computerized in- formation system was feasible and was of particular interest at this time to the following: • Bureau personnel doing in-house research and/or monitoring contract research. • Bureau and MSHA personnel who provide informa- tion or assistance to the mining industry. • Mining company employees, who can alleviate or solve problems amenable to the application of human factors methods. • Equipment or hand tool designers, who can improve or significantly alter present designs by using human factors principles. • Educators and trainers needing a source of information. Once the desirability of a human factors in mining computerized information system had been determined, the next step was to find out what had been done in the design of information systems, what systems presently operating would satisfy the requirements for a human factors in mining data base, and where these systems were located. The basic criteria for the system were • Ability to store and have viewed on a screen and/or in printed form records that would include title, author, source of the material, contract number (when appro- priate), type of publication, date, descriptive terms or key words, an abstract, and other pertinent data! • Ability to update or edit the records using the format above. • Potential ability to be accessed through a dial-in terminal. • Lowest possible cost as long as the system fulfilled the above requirements. • Ease and quickness of installation. The "Encyclopedia of Information Systems and Ser- vices" 3 alphabetically lists all of the information systems operating in the United States at the time of its publication and gives the name and address of each system, a descrip- tion of it, the scope and/or subject matter, holdings and storage media, publications, clientele and availability, and contact persons. Several systems were applicable to the needs of the human factors in mining system. Among these was the POISE Data Management System (DMS Plus), 4 which runs on a Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC) VAX series of computers using VAX/VMS as the operating system, and which met all of the criteria given above. It is a collection of about 25 generalized programs that enable the user to input, store, move, manipulate, and retrieve information in alphabetic or numeric form. The maximum number of characters (letters, numbers, sym- bols) for all of the fields for each record or entry is 2,047, exclusive of the names of the fields (title, author, date, etc.). The minimum number of characters that can be used for an entry is 31. The POISE system was being in- stalled at the Bureau's Pittsburgh Research Center and was also being used by the MSHA's National Mine Health and Safety Academy, the West Virginia Department of Mines, and the West Virginia University's Mining Exten- sion Service. Hence, POISE was readily available, and HFMSS could eventually become part of a system incorpo- rating several other data bases without running into prob- lems of software incompatibility. CATEGORIES As Bureau publications, magazine articles, papers from seminars and conferences, etc. were gathered, it became apparent that in terms of the Bureau's human factors research program, these publications fell into rather well- defined topic categories. Some covered more than one category, but this was taken into consideration by listing more than one category in the descriptive terms field and assigning the record or entry to the category that seemed most important with respect to the entry. Some dealt with human factors in a general way, so a category to include these was titled "human factors". This utilization of categories would enable users of HFMSS to understand more quickly and easily what subjects were encompassed by the data base and to determine more readily what they wanted to retrieve from the system. This subdivision of HFMSS into categories would also be an aid in literature searches, including accessing computerized data bases, and would make it easier to talk with experts to ensure that all of the significant material relevant to mining had been entered under a particular category. The 19 categories decided upon and their accession number ranges (an accession number is the number assigned to a record when it is entered into the computer) are shown in table 1. For each entry in HFMSS, the category to which it is assigned comes first in the descriptive terms field. This highlights what the particular reference emphasizes. 3 Gale Research Co., 1981, 933 pp. 4 Reference to specific products does not imply endorsement by the Bureau of Mines. Table 1 .-Categories and Accession number range 1-500 501-1000 1001-1500 1501-2000 2001-2500 2501-3000 3001-3500 3501-4000 4001-4500 4501-5000 5501-6000 6001-6500 6501-7000 7001-7500 7501-8000 8001-8500 8501-9000 9001-9500 9501-10000 accession number ranges for HFMSS Category name Anthropometrics, biomechanics, and work physiology. Cost-benefit analysis. Equipment: auditory devices, canopies, controls, operator compartments, visual displays. Female miners and female workers. Hand tools. Human error and human reliability. Human factors: applications, methods, principles, studies. Illumination. Job or work design, and task analysis. Manual materials handling, and back injuries. Noise: control, effects, measurement, standards. Organizational and management practices. Personal protective equipment and clothing. Psychological factors: absenteeism, behavior modification, incentive plans, job satisfaction, motivation, stress, turnover. Safety assessment methods. Thermal stress. Training: cost effectiveness, methods, principles, results, studies. Vibration: machinery, tool, limbs, whole body. Visibility. FIELDS An entry or record in HFMSS consists of 58 fields. A field is defined as some specified number of adjacent character positions (digit, alphabetic letter, or special symbol), which can contain a single data element or item of information. In a POISE data file, a field is a speci- fied location in a record to store a single data element. Table 2 shows the pertinent information on the HFMSS fields. An explanation of the column headings in table 2 is as follows: 1. The field number refers to the number used to identify the field in the POISE file, in this case an HFMSS record being the file. For instance, "Title line 1" is field 4 and "Title line 2" is field 5. 2. The field location gives the positions available for the characters that make up the fields within a single record. For instance, the field 'Author(s)" is assigned character positions 158 through 227, although the name(s) may not require this much space. Table 2.-HFMSS fields Number Location Length in characters 1,5 5 6,11 6 12,17 6 18,87 70 88,157 70 158,227 70 228,231 4 232,234 3 235,236 2 237,266 30 267,291 25 292,300 9 301,305 5 306,306 307,307 308,308 309,309 310,310 311,311 312,312 313,313 314,314 315,315 316,316 317,317 318,328 11 329,333 5 334,337 4 338,342 5 343,347 4 348,422 75 423,497 75 498,567 70 568,637 70 638,707 70 708,777 70 778,847 70 848,917 70 918,987 70 988,1057 70 1058,1127 70 1128,1197 70 1198,1267 70 1268,1337 70 1338,1407 70 1408,1477 70 1478,1547 70 1548,1617 70 1618,1687 70 1688,1757 70 1758,1827 70 1828,1897 70 1898,1967 70 1968,2037 70 18,157 140 348,497 150 498,1267 770 1268,2037 770 Name Code 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 Accession number . . . .AN Entry date .ENTRY DATE Review date .REVIEW DATE Title line 1 .TITLE1 Title line 2 .TITLE2 Author(s) .AUTHOR Month and year .PUB DAT published. Volume number .VOL Issue number .NO Source .SOURCE Contractor address . . . .CONT ADD Contract number .CONT NO Bureau research center .BU RES CTR Contract final flag .... .FINAL FLAG Contract phase flag . . . .PHASE FLAG RFP flag .RFP FLAG Bureau series flag .... .USBM FLAG Journal article flag . . . JOURN FLAG Manual, guide flag . . . .MANUAL FLAG Rules, laws flag .LAWS FLAG Seminars, training flag .SEMI FLAG MSHA series flag .... .MSHA FLAG Federal agency, .FED FLAG not Bureau, MSHA. Foreign flag .FOR FLAG Miscellaneous flag . . . .MISC FLAG NTIS number .NTIS OFR number .OFR Other number .OTHER Start page .START PAGE Length .LENGTH Terms line 1 .TERMS1 Terms line 2 .TERMS2 Abstract line 1 .ABSTRACT1 Abstract line 2 .ABSTRACT2 Abstract line 3 .ABSTRACT3 Abstract line 4 .ABSTRACT4 Abstract line 5 .ABSTRACT5 Abstract line 6 .ABSTRACT6 Abstract line 7 .ABSTRACT7 Abstract line 8 .ABSTRACT8 Abstract line 9 .ABSTRACT9 Abstract line 10 .ABSTRACT 10 Abstract line 11 .ABSTRACT 11 Abstract line 12 .ABSTRACT 12 Abstract line 13 .ABSTRACT13 Abstract line 14 .ABSTRACT14 Abstract line 15 .ABSTRACT15 Abstract line 16 .ABSTRACT16 Abstract line 17 .ABSTRACT17 Abstract line 18 .ABSTRACT18 Abstract line 19 .ABSTRACT19 Abstract line 20 .ABSTRACT20 Abstract line 21 .ABSTRACT21 Abstract line 22 .ABSTRACT22 Full title .TITLE Full terms TERMS Half abstract 1 .ABSTRACT1 Half abstract 2 .ABSTRACT2 3. Field length in characters refers to the maximum number of characters the field can use. This is found by subtracting the smaller number under field location from the larger number and adding 1. The 1 is added since the field location starts with the lower number and includes the higher number. In the above example of "Author(s)," the maximum number of alphabetic letters, periods, apostrophes, spaces, etc. this field can use is (227 - 158) + 1 = 70. 4. The field name is what the particular field is called in HFMSS. The field names are discussed below. 5. The field code is what has been entered in POISE to represent the various field names. The field code can be used instead of the field number when performing a search. The period (.) must always precede the field code, since this is a requirement of POISE. The field names have the following meanings: 1. Accession number.-The number given to the record by the person who enters the record into HFMSS. Each entry is first assigned to 1 of the 19 categories given in the previous section of this report and then given the next unused number within the accession range of that category. For example, if the last number that was used under the "Training" category was 8563, then the new entry would be assigned accession number 8564. There is no particular sequence within a category, accession numbers being solely dependent upon when the publication is recorded in HFMSS. In a few cases, a duplicate publication entry was deleted and the accession number reused for a later entry. 2. Entry date.-The month, day, and year the publi- cation is entered into HFMSS. Numbers only are used, with a slash (/) between the month and day, and day and year. For example, 04/25/85 means April 25, 1985. 3. Review date.-An estimated time to look at the entry and decide whether it should be retained in HFMSS. The review date is exactly 1 year later than the entry date for the record. In the above example under 2, it would be 04/25/86. 4 and 5. Title line 1 and title line 2.-The title of the publication. Two lines (140 characters) are reserved for those cases in which the title is long. 6. Author (s) -The author (s) of the publication. Only one line (70 characters) is reserved for this field. In the few instances where there are several authors, "et al." is used after the first two or three names. 7. Month and year published.— The month and year in which the record was published. For books, in which only the year is given, and for a few other publications in which no month is given, no month is entered. 8. Volume number— If it is available, and if a magazine is the source of the publication. 9. Issue number -If it is available, and if a magazine is the source of the publication. 10. Source— Where the publication came from. This generally is the name of either the contractor or the orga- nization that did the work if the entry is a final or phase contract report, or the name of the magazine if it is an article. 11. Contractor address,— The city, State, and zip code for the contractor or, in some cases, the Government agency responsible for the work. 12. Contract number.-The Bureau contract or grant number when appropriate. 13. Bureau research center.-The Bureau research center that monitored the contract. v 14 through 25.-Flags.-The word "flag" as defined for computer applications is a variable used in a computer program to indicate whether a condition has occurred. In this case, it means whether or not a mark (such as X) is entered in the field. The following flags are used in HFMSS. Flag Contract final . Contract phase RFP Bureau series . Journal article Manual, guide Rules, laws . . Seminars, training MSHA series . . . Federal agency, not Bureau, MSHA. Foreign Miscellaneous X indicates Contract final report. Contract phase report. Request for Proposal. Bureau publication (Information Circular, Report of Investigations, etc.). Journal or magazine article. Manual or guide for users. Publication detailing mining rules or laws Publication dealing with seminar, conference, or training course. MSHA publication. Federal publication, other than those of the Bureau and MSHA. Foreign publication (magazine, conference proceedings, book, etc.). Publication that does not fall under any of the other types. (There are very few of these). 26. NTIS number.-The report number for a publication available from National Technical Information Service (NTIS). 27. OFR number .-If the report is on open file at the Bureau, the OFR number is given (when it is listed in the report). Open file reports are available for inspection at Bureau research center libraries. 28. Other number.-In some cases, such as for other Federal agency reports, a contract or report number is available and is entered in this field. 29. Start page -For a journal article, a paper in con- ference proceedings, or a talk from a technology transfer seminar, this is the page where the article begins. For a book or report, the start page is always given as 1. 30. Length.-For a journal article, a paper in con- ference proceedings, or a talk from a technology transfer seminar, this is the page where the article ends. For a book or report, this is the total number of pages in the publication. 31 and 32.— Terms line 1 and terms line 2— The descrip- tive terms or key words for the publication are given on these two lines. A total of 150 characters is reserved for the descriptive terms. The first term under fields 31 and 32 is always the name of one of the 19 categories discussed in a previous section. 33 through 54.-Abstract lines 1 through 22.-The ab- stract is broken down into purpose, procedure, and results of the work. However, no particular number of char- acters is reserved for each of these parts. This permits flexibility in preparing the abstract part of the entry, since the amount of space devoted to each of the three parts of the abstract can be varied, depending on what should be stressed for the particular publication. The only restriction is that the abstract as a whole cannot exceed 1,540 characters. 55. Full title.-This field combines fields 4 and 5, which permits a search based on the title of a publication to be carried out in one step. Otherwise, two steps would be needed, one instructing the computer to search field 4 and another telling it to simultaneously search field 5. 56. Full terms.-This field combines fields 31 and 32, which permits a search based on both lines of the de- scriptive terms for a publication in one step rather than two steps. 57. Half abstract l.-This field combines fields 33 through 43, which permits a search for a particular word(s) or term(s) on the first 11 lines of the abstract in one step. The POISE system does not permit a search in one step on the entire abstract. However, the entire abstract can be searched at one time by entering 57 (or AB- STRACT1) the first time the field is requested and 58 (or ABSTRACT2) the second time. 58. Half abstract 2.-This field combines fields 44 through 54, which permits a search for a particular word(s) or term(s) on lines 12 through 22 of the Abstract. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY The annotated bibliography 5 is a compendium of 634 abstracts of mining or mining-applicable documents pertaining to human factors. These were printed out as they are stored in the HFMSS computerized data base. For convenience, the original 19 categories were combined into 10 subject areas and the abstracts grouped as fol- lows: (1) anthropometrics, work physiology, and manual materials handling, (2) equipment, (3) female miners and female workers, (4) human error and human reli- ability, (5) environmental factors, (6) human factors, (7) psychological factors, (8) personal protective equipment and clothing, and hand tools,, (9) job or work design, task analysis, and organizational and management practices, and (10) training. The abstracts in this bibliography represent a majority of publications from 1969 through part of 1986 on human factors in mining and the most significant mining- applicable publications dealing with human factors for the same time period. All of these abstracts are located in and retrievable from HFMSS. Another 116 publications have been entered in HFMSS since the bibliography was assembled, and approximately 350 more are awaiting entry. The types of documents selected to be abstracted are restricted to those relating to the 10 subject areas listed above. Each of the subject areas contains both publica- tions dealing specifically with mining and publications that are applicable to m inin g and offer important information not to be found in mining reports. More specifically, if Aiken, E. G., and R, S. Fowkes. Human Factors in Mining: An Annotated Bibliography. BuMines OFR 19-89, 1987, 640 pp. numerous mining publications are available for a particular category (such as illumination or noise), then the bulk of the material entered into HFMSS for that category deals with mining. However, if there is insufficient material having to do with mining published for a particular cate- gory (such as human error, hand tools, female miners, and task analysis), then the literature is searched for the most relevant publications from other industries (defense, nuclear, aerospace, manufacturing, etc.). The reports in section 1 of the annotated bibliography are concerned with anthropometrics, work physiology, and manual materials handling, topics that are interrelated. Anthropometrics deals with the measurement of physical features of the body, including linear dimensions and weight and volume. The measurements obtained are used to design tools, components, equipment, and facilities to fit people in terms of such features as body dimensions, arm and leg reach, and movements. Manual materials handling has to do with the movement of mining materials through physical effort and with back injuries (causes, prevention, alleviation, etc.). Biomechanics and work physiology enter into considerations of how to handle supplies and materials most efficiently and safely. The reports in section 2, equipment, describe a wide range of safety devices for use on mining equipment, designed from a human engineering aspect to improve the miner's safety, performance, and comfort. A variety of components and systems are discussed for application in different seam heights and for both underground and surface mines. Section 3 reports concern the female miner, her needs that differ from those of males with respect to personal protective equipment and clothing and hand tools and in terms of the working environment. Since there have been only a limited number of studies with respect to female miners but numerous investigations and applications rela- tive to other blue-collar female workers, a number of these abstracts have to do with female workers in industries such as manufacturing. Information contained in the reports on female workers in other industries is of interest to those involved with the problems of female miners. Section 4 contains publications on both human error and its opposite, human reliability. Many of these deal with techniques for reducing accidents in mining as well as in other industries. Several reports deal with under- standing what human error is and its causes, in an attempt to find methods to reduce its occurrence. Material having to do with human reliability delves into such subjects as the development of system reliability evaluation models, ways to integrate human and equipment reliabilities, and trends in reliability analysis. Theories and mathematical models of human error and human reliability are dealt with in some publications. The nuclear power industry and the armed services have especially investigated this subject area. Section 5 deals with environmental factors, such as illu- mination, visibility, noise, and vibration, as they affect the miner's health and safety. The Bureau has long been ac- tive in this area and has published numerous reports on the results of both in-house and contract research. Some of the investigations have been for the purpose of estab- lishing Federal guidelines and legislation for acceptable levels of illumination and noise in the mining industry. Section 6, human factors, focuses on the human- machine-environment system. The goal of human factors is to enhance the operational efficiency and the health and safety of the miners or workers in general. Reports pre- sent methods and results of human factors research and, in the case of mining, discuss human-factors-related prob- lems in coal and metal-nonmetal mining, surface and underground, and give recommendations for research to alleviate these problems. Section 7, psychological factors, is concerned with a variety of factors that belong to the realm of human psy- chology. Examples are absenteeism, behavior modifica- tion, employee assistance programs, incentive plans, job satisfaction, motivation, stress, and employee turnover. There has been considerable attention given to some of these, such as absenteeism and incentive plans, in both mining and nonmining in attempts to improve both safety and productivity. Section 8, personal protective equipment and clothing, and hand tools, deals with research and development studies on such mining items as headgear, outer garments, respirators, cap lamps, gloves, kneepads, boots, helmets, ear protection, eye protection, and battery packs. Little formal research on hand tools for mining has been done, except to a limited extent by the National Coal Board in the United Kingdom and by the Bureau of Mines. Thus most of the entries on hand tools come from research and applications done for industries other than mining. Topics include ergonomic principles for hand tool design, powered hand tools for use at the coal face, and analysis of hand tool injuries in underground mining. Section 9 includes reports on job or work design, task analysis, and organizational and management practices. Job design and redesign from the human factors point of view stresses making the job fit the worker insofar as feasible, rather than trying to make the worker fit the job. Much of what is done in human factors depends on thorough task analyses of jobs. The results of these analyses can lead to the redesign of jobs, equipment modi- fications, or the development of improved equipment or tools. It is well known that organizational and manage- ment practices affect productivity, absenteeism, job satis- faction, and a host of other worker-related factors. Only a few reports contained in this section deal with mining, since so little work has been done in this area by the mining community, as contrasted to such other industries as aerospace, nuclear, manufacturing, and defense. Section 10 is concerned with training as it relates to im- proving health, safety, and productivity in mining. Material entered deals with such topics as new-hire and refresher training, on-the-job training (OJT), task analysis applica- tions to training, the cost effectiveness of training, utiliza- tion of learning theory and research results in developing and applying training courses and programs, and methods and results of conducting field evaluations in order to upgrade health, safety, and occupational training. Many of the publications come from mining research, but there are numerous others from fields other than mining that should be of interest to those concerned with training mine workers and supervisors. USER'S MANUAL The user's manual 6 explains how to search the HFMSS data base. A search of HFMSS can in general be done using a POISE program called SORT. Any of the fields discussed under the FIELDS section of this report can be searched by using either the field number or the field rowkes, R. S. User's Guide for the Human Factors in Mining Search System (HFMSS). BuMines OFR 21-89, 1987, 33 pp. code. The entries retrieved can then be viewed on the screen and selected ones printed out. There are also pro- grams that allow the user to print all of the entries in HFMSS, for example, by sequential accession number (thus showing the entries by category as discussed in the "CATEGORIES" section of this report) or in alphabetical order. In this case, other fields can also be listed for each record, such as title and author (s). The user's manual consists of the following sections: Introduction Definitions of terms Categories Fields Thesaurus of most common key words How to search on one key word General method Displaying records retrieved Printing records retrieved Example search on one key word How to search on two or more key words General method Example search on two key words Discussion Appendix.~Examples of retrieved records Brief format Entire record as stored in HFMSS The introduction briefly discusses HFMSS and what the manual enables the user to do. The "Definition of Terms" section is a glossary that contains 21 terms that have to do with either a POISE program, HFMSS, or computers. The terms are listed alphabetically and defined. The "Categories" section gives the 19 categories into which HFMSS is divided and the accession number range for each category. The "Fields" section gives the number, name, and code for each of the fields making up an HFMSS entry. Information contained in this section is needed to retrieve entries from HFMSS. The thesaurus included with the manual consists of a list of the most important words that appear in the de- scriptive terms fields of HFMSS. Only those words that are found a sufficient number of times in the descriptive terms and/or abstracts and represent an area of consider- able interest are listed. (A much more extensive the- saurus is discussed under the "Thesaurus" section of this report.) The "How to Search on One Key Word" section gives a step-by-step method for retrieving entries by searching any field in the HFMSS entries, viewing those retrieved on a screen, and printing selected entries from those re- trieved. Everything that will appear on the user's screen and what to type in is presented. The user is then led through an example using a descriptive term found in HFMSS. The "How to Search on Two or More Key Words" sec- tion shows in detail how the user can search on two or more fields or two or more descriptive terms at the same time. The user is then led through an example using two descriptive terms found in HFMSS. The user's manual appendix contains printouts of sev- eral records in the brief (accession number, title, author, descriptive terms) and full (entire record as it appears in HFMSS) formats. The manual requires the user to type in either the field number or field code for each field that will be searched. It also requires the user to follow a long series of steps to do a search, view, and print. The steps are not compli- cated, and with the manual and the example, it is not diffi- cult for a user to do the search, view, and print. THESAURUS As used in computer technology, a thesaurus is an in- dex to information stored in a computer. The HFMSS thesaurus 7 was developed to help the user retrieve in- formation from the computerized data base. It has a uni- form subject arrangement and was structured to provide a basic cross-reference subject term vocabulary. Not only does the thesaurus permit the retrieval of information from any desired document or series of documents in HFMSS, it also provides a basic human factors technolo- gical vocabulary that can serve as a resource to others with similar interests in the mining industry. It is a unique report in terms of presenting a vocabulary that applies to all the areas of human factors related to mining. Some 1,500 to 2,000 search terms, designated as key words or descriptors, were generated during the ab- stracting of material entered into HFMSS and are 7 Aiken, E. G. A Thesaurus of Human Factors in Mining Termi- nology. BuMines OFR 20-89, 1986, 86 pp. contained in the thesaurus. Figures 1 through 4 show examples of the four different arrangements used in the thesaurus to present the subject term vocabulary. Figure 1 lists all the possible choices of key words or descriptors for category 1, "Anthropometrics, Biomechanics, and Work Physiology." The thesaurus presents this information for all 19 categories. Figure 2 illustrates the letter A entries (and beginning of the B entries) in the main part of the thesaurus, which is a composite, alphabetical listing of all the key words found in the descriptive terms field of an HFMSS entry. Figure 3 is an example of a listing by accession number of all of the key words for a record in HFMSS. Accession number is defined in detail in the sec- tion of this present report called "Fields." Figure 4 shows the first part of a comprehensive index given in the thesaurus of all key words in selected subject categories, which is essentially an expansion of the listing in figure 1, using all of the corresponding abstract numbers as well. 10 Category Category subject Key words or descriptors Accession numbers Anthropometrics biomechanics, and work physiology Aerobic capacity Back injuries Biomechanics Biorhythms Carts Circadian rhythm Computer Controls Dynamic modeling Emergencies Energy expenditure Equipment design Ergonomics Exercise Female miners Hand tools Heart rate Human factors Isometrics Job design Jogging Lifting Low coal Lower limbs Male miners Man-machine interface Manual materials handling Miners Modeling Nutrition Performance Physical effort Physical forces Physical stress Pulling Pushing Simulation Strength Task analysis Task simulation Underground coal mine Walking Work capacity Work load 1-19 Figure 1 .-Example of thesaurus key words or descriptors listed by subject category. 11 A absenteeism absorptive materials acceleration accident analysis accident causes accident modeling accident modes accident prediction accident reduction accident statistics accidents acclimatization acoustic capacity acoustic couplers acoustic evaluation acoustic imaging acoustic instruments aerobic capacity aerospace industry age aircraft aircraft accidents air-powered tools air traffic control systems air stream helmet alcoholism alertness analysis analytical theory anthropometrics area lighting attenuation attitudes audio dosimeter audiometry auditory defects auger miner automated database automation awards B back injuries ballasts battery battery cord Figure 2.-Example of thesaurus key words or descriptors in alphabetical order. 12 Category 1 - Anthropometrics, biomechanics, and work physiology Accession number Key words or descriptors 1 Anthropometrics, male miners, female miners, job design, equipment design, low coal, underground coal mining. 2 Anthropometrics, work physiology, materials handling, strength, physical effort, ergonomics, human factors. 3 Anthropometrics, lifting, work physiology. 4 Anthropometrics, strength, female workers, biomechanics, ergonomics, human factors. 5 Anthropometrics, biomechanics, work physiology, female miners, male miners, strength, work capacity, task analysis, energy expenditure, low coal mining. 6 Anthropometrics, biomechanics, lower limbs, walking. 7 Anthropometrics, hand tools, biomechanics, man- machine interface, controls, physical stress. 8 Anthropometrics, biomechanics, work physiology, nutrition, aerobic capacity, strength, female miners, male miners, job design, equipment, mining. 9 Anthropometrics, biomechanics, pushing, pulling, carts, simulation. 10 Anthropometrics, female workers, male workers, strength, isometrics, job design, back injuries, lifting. 11 Anthropometrics, biomechanics, manual materials handling, strength, job design, human factors. 12 Anthropometrics, work physiology, heart rate, exercise, stress, circadian rhythms. 13 Anthropometrics, work physiology, stress, computer, exercise, performance, oxygen uptake, heart rate. 14 Work physiology, physical working capacity, exercise, statistics, factor analysis. Figure 3.-Example of thesaurus key words or descriptors listed in alphanumeric sequence by individual accession numbers. 13 Key word or descriptor Accession numbers Absenteeism 7006,7018,7023,7044,7045,7048, 7054,7064,7008,7049,7050,7051, 7052,7053,7068,4012 Anthropometrics 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14, 15,16,17,18,19,4507,4510,4513, 4514,4517,1008,1076,1503,1504, 1507,1520,1521,1522,3002,3008, 3039,3062,6501,6512 Attitudes 3010,7002,7005,7018,7021,7028, 7035,7045,7047,7055,7065,7067, 7039,4017,4012,8587,8565 Back injuries 10,4504,4509,4505,4506,4510,4511, 4512,4514,4518,4519,4520,4521, 4522,4523,4524,4525,4526,4527, 4528,4530,4545,1508,1516,1525, 7066,8598,4536,4538,4539,4541, 4543,4536,17 Back pain 4536,4538,4539,4541,4543 Back stress 4536,17 Behavior 2514,2530,2532,2533,2534,2535,7006, 7028,7035,7066,7033,7034,7037, 7038,7039,7068,8550,8591,7063 Behavior modification . 7008,7034,7037,7038,7039,6004, 8521,8565 Biomechanics 4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,17,19,4509,4501 4510,4511,4513,4514,4515,4517 4521,4524,4536,4543,1007,1042 3002,3011,3009,3014,3027,2019 Boredom 7045 Canopies 1012,1013,1016,1017,1018,1019, 1021,1027,1028,1041,1064,1066, 1004,1005,1011,1014,1015 Controls 1001,1007,1010,1036,1042,1054, 1055,1056,1057,1069,3003,3016, 3030,3039,3008,3009 Cost benefit analysis . . 7019,503,504,514,515,516,509, 510,511,512,8599,8560,8561, 8562,8567,8568,8578 Cost effectiveness 3530,3025,8560,8561,8578 Figure 4.-Example of thesaurus accession numbers associated with each key word or descriptor. 14 SUMMARY The Human Factors in Mining Search System (HFMSS) was developed primarily because knowledgeable persons in the mining industry-from Government agencies, mining equipment design companies, operating coal and metal- nonmetal mines, and universities— believed that such a computerized information retrieval system would benefit researchers, trainers, equipment designers, safety engi- neers, and production personnel. In addition to HFMSS itself, the following were prepared relevant to HFMSS to stimulate more interest in the adoption of human factors or ergonomics principles and methods by the mining community: 1. Annotated bibliography: Consists of an overall introduction, 10 human factors category sections with printouts of over 600 entries as they appear in HFMSS, a brief introduction to each of these 10 sections, and an index. 2. User's manual: Tells the user what HFMSS and the POISE Data Management System are and gives detailed instructions on how to access and retrieve information from HFMSS. Also includes a thesaurus of the most important words found in the descriptive terms field of each entry, a glossary defining relevant computer terms and applicable POISE programs, and example printouts of HFMSS records in both a brief (accession number, ti- tle, author, and descriptive terms only) and a complete (all of the fields of the entry as it appears in HFMSS) format. 3. Thesaurus: Gives all of the descriptive terms found in HFMSS entries (at the time the annotated bibliography was compiled) in several formats so that these terms can be looked at relative to categories and accession numbers. Also lists all of the terms alphabetically and by accession number. The HFMSS can be accessed by persons outside the Bureau by contacting Becky Farley, National Mine Health and Safety Academy, Learning Resource Center, P.O. Box 1166, Beckley, WV 25802-1166, telephone (304) 256-3226. She will provide information on accessing HFMSS and a users' guide. She will also, if requested, provide a users' guide for EMSS. The training category of HFMSS contains information on principles, methods, and research results that supplement EMSS, which references training materials only. It is planned to update HFMSS periodically so that it does not become obsolete. 15 APPENDIX.-EXAMPLE PRINTOUTS-BRIEF AND FULL-ENTRY FORMATS BRIEF FORMAT ACCESSION NUMBER : 5 TITLE : MINING IN LOW COAL. VOLUME I : BIOMECHANICS AND WORK PHYSIOLOGY AUTHOR(S) : AYOUB, M. M., N. J. BETHEA, M. BOBO, ET AL DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : ANTHROPOMETRICS, BIOMECHANICS, WORK PHYSIOLOGY, FEMALE MINERS, MALE MINERS, STRENGTH, WORK CAPACITY, TASK ANALYSIS, ENERGY EXPENDITURE, LOW COAL MINING ACCESSION NUMBER : 504 TITLE : BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN COAL, METAL AND NON-METAL MINING AUTHOR(S) : DAVIS, R. P., G. R. BROWN, AND W. J. DOUGLAS DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, HEALTH, SAFETY, MINING ACCESSION NUMBER : 3029 TITLE : RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUMAN FACTORS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN SURFACE MINING AUTHOR(S) : CONWAY, E. J. AND M. S. SANDERS DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : HUMAN FACTORS, ERGONOMICS, MAN-MACHINE INTERFACE, SAFETY, HAZARDS, MINING EQUIPMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES, SURFACE MINING 16 ACCESSION NUMBER : 7044 TITLE : CAUSES OF ABSENTEEISM AUTHOR(S) : ATKIN, ROBERT S. AND PAUL S. GOODMAN DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS, ABSENTEEISM, UNDERGROUND COAL MINING ACCESSION NUMBER : 8516 TITLE : TRAM VIII: TRAINING RESOURCES APPLIED TO MINING. PROCEEDINGS OF A CONFERENCE HELD AT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV., AUGUST 23-26, 1981 AUTHOR(S) : BENNETT, J. D.-PROCEEDINGS EDITOR DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : TRAINING, SAFETY, ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, FOREMEN, PRODUCTIVITY, MAINTENANCE, TRUCKS, SELF-RESCUERS, LONGWALL MINING, MINING FULL-ENTRY FORMAT 17 ACCESSION NUMBER TITLE ENTRY DATE : REVIEW DATE 09/14/84 : 09/15/85 MINING IN LOW COAL. VOLUME I : BIOMECHANICS AND WORK PHYSIOLOGY AUTHOR(S) : AYOUB, M. M., N. J. BETHEA, M. BOBO, ET AL MO-YR PUBLISHED : 11/81 SOURCE : TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY CONTRACT NO. : HO387022 CONTRACT FINAL REPORT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS JOURNAL ARTICLE RULES, REGS, OR LAWS MSHA SERIES FOREIGN NTISNO. : PB83-258160 OFR NO. START PAGE : 1 LENGTH DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : VOLUME : ISSUE : CONT. ADD. : LUBBOCK, TX 79409 BUREAU RESEARCH CENTER : PRC CONTRACT PHASE REPORT USBM SERIES MANUAL OR GUIDE SEMINARS OR TRAINING OTHER AGENCY MISCELLANEOUS 16283 175 OTHER NO. ANTHROPOMETRICS, BIOMECHANICS, WORK PHYSIOLOGY, FEMALE MINERS, MALE MINERS, STRENGTH, WORK CAPACITY, TASK ANALYSIS, ENERGY EXPENDITURE, LOW COAL MINING ABSTRACT : PURPOSE: To evaluate the job demands associated with low-coal mining; to study the anthropometry, strength, and aerobic capacity of low coal miners to determine if they differ from the U.S. population; and to recommend, on the basis of available information, optimal job and work station design for low coal mining. PROCEDURE: Data was gathered on the physical and physiological characteristics of low coal miners during 25 visits to 17 mines in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Anthropometric measurements were made of male and female miners and used to design and build 12 mannequins representing the 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles of the male and female population. The strength and physical work capacity of male and female low coal miners were also measured. A job analysis was performed for roof bolter, bolter helper, miner helper, and timberman, since these were the most demanding low coal mining jobs physically. RESULTS: The male and female anthropometry, except for weight and circumferential dimensions, for low coal miners was quite similar to the comparison population. Back strength for the male and female miners was significantly lower than that of the industrial worker population, which may be a contributing factor to low back problems in mining. Although shoveling, timbering, and helpers tasks were physiologically demanding, adequate rest was usually available due to frequent work stoppages. If the amount of work stoppage is decreased, rest schedules are essential. 18 ACCESSION NUMBER : 504 TITLE ENTRY DATE : REVIEW DATE 12/20/84 : 12/20/85 BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS OF HEALTH AND SAFETY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN COAL, METAL AND NON-METAL MINING AUTHOR(S) : DAVIS, R. P., G. R. BROWN, AND W. J. DOUGLAS MO-YR PUBLISHED : 5/81 SOURCE : KETRONINC. CONTRACT NO. : JO199042 CONTRACT FINAL REPORT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS JOURNAL ARTICLE RULES, REGS, OR LAWS MSHA SERIES FOREIGN NTIS NO. : PB82-218660 START PAGE : 1 DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : X VOLUME : ISSUE : CONT. ADD. : WAYNE, PA 19087 BUREAU RESEARCH CENTER : PRC CONTRACT PHASE REPORT USBM SERIES MANUAL OR GUIDE SEMINARS OR TRAINING OTHER AGENCY MISCELLANEOUS OFRNO. LENGTH 7882 106 OTHER NO. ORGANIZATIONAL AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, HEALTH, SAFETY, MINING ABSTRACT : PURPOSE: To develop a methodology for determining the likely effects of Bureau of Mines health and safety research projects on the economic and operating parameters of those mining sections which would be affected by the research technology. PROCEDURE: Fifteen Bureau of Mines health and safety research and development projects were selected for detailed case study. Data applicable to benefit-cost analysis of the selected projects were acquired through both site visits and evaluation of project reports. A procedure and a set of criteria for measuring the benefit-cost effects of health and safety projects were developed. RESULTS: A Benefit-Cost Analysis Model, Version 1 (BCAM/1), was developed and installed on a computer. The Benefit-Cost procedure applies parametric analysis in evaluating projects. By varying parameters which have a high degree of uncertainty over a range of expected values, one obtains a corresponding set of Benefit-Cost indices. The Benefit-Cost index represents the economic output per unit of investment in the proposed technology by the mining industry sector. Data requirements for using BCAM/1 include: revenues, production, operating costs, capital costs, number, type and severity of accidents, cost of accidents, health problems encountered, and cost of health problems. The Accident Cost Indicator Model (ACIM), developed by FMC for the Bureau, is one input for BCAM/1. Pro-forma income and cash flow statements for up to 10 years of project life are outputs. 19 ACCESSION NUMBER TITLE : 3029 ENTRY DATE : 03/13/85 REVIEW DATE : 03/13/86 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HUMAN FACTORS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN SURFACE MINING AUTHOR(S) : CONWAY, E. J. AND M. S. SANDERS MO-YR PUBLISHED : 5/82 SOURCE : CANYON RESEARCH, INC WESTLAKE CONTRACT NO. : JO395080 VOLUME : ISSUE : CONT. ADD. : CA 91361 BUREAU RESEARCH CENTER PRC CONTRACT FINAL REPORT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS JOURNAL ARTICLE RULES, REGS, OR LAWS MSHA SERIES FOREIGN NNTIS NO. : PB84-143650 START PAGE : 1 DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : X CONTRACT PHASE REPORT USBM SERIES MANUAL OR GUIDE SEMINARS OR TRAINING OTHER AGENCY MISCELLANEOUS OFRNO. LENGTH 21183 84 OTHER NO. HUMAN FACTORS, ERGONOMICS, MAN-MACHINE INTERFACE, SAFETY, HAZARDS, MINING EQUIPMENT, ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES, SURFACE MINING ABSTRACT : PURPOSE: To identify human factors research and development needs in the surface mining industry which could be funded and directed by the Bureau of Mines, and to assign priorities to the recommended projects. PROCEDURE: Phase I consisted of: literature review, accident data analysis, preliminary interviews with MSHA and Bureau personnel, interviews with equipment manufacturers, and mine visits for familiarization of contractor personnel. Phase II encompassed on-site data collection and preliminary data analysis. Twenty-seven mines were visited during this period. Phase III dealt with defining human factors R and D projects and assigning priorities to them. After a weeding out process, final acceptance of projects and assigned priorities were determined from ratings by project team members, mine personnel, and MSHA officials. RESULTS: Seventy-four human factors research projects in surface mining were identified for possible Bureau funding. The projects were divided into the following categories: those related to-Mobile Equipment, Maintenance Shops and Areas, Plants and Mills, Organizational Factors, Safety Programs/Data, and Training. The highest priority category contained 25 projects, the middle one and 26, and the lowest 23. A table is given which briefly describes each project and lists industry, MSHA. and combined ratings. Another table presents the priority for each of the projects. A bibliography with 46 references is also included. 20 ACCESSION NUMBER : 7044 TITLE : CAUSES OF ABSENTEEISM AUTHOR(S) : ATKIN, ROBERT S. AND PAUL S. GOODMAN MO-YR PUBLISHED : 1/84 SOURCE : CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIVERSITY CONTRACT NO. : JO328033 CONTRACT FINAL REPORT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS JOURNAL ARTICLE RULES, REGS, OR LAWS MSHA SERIES FOREIGN ENTRY DATE : 07/02/85 REVIEW DATE : 07/02/86 VOLUME : ISSUE : CONT. ADD. : PITTSBURGH, PA 15213 BUREAU RESEARCH CENTER : PRC CONTRACT PHASE REPORT USBM SERIES MANUAL OR GUIDE SEMINARS OR TRAINING OTHER AGENCY MISCELLANEOUS NTIS NO. : START PAGE : 1 DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : OFRNO. LENGTH OTHER NO. 30 PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS, ABSENTEEISM, UNDERGROUND COAL MINING ABSTRACT : PURPOSE: To examine the causes of absenteeism for underground coal miners. PROCEDURE: Underground coal miners from 11 mines (6 in the East, 2 in the Midwest, 3 in the West) were interviewed individually at the work site and job site. Each of the 681 miners was interviewed for approximately 45 minutes. Questions covered such areas as satisfaction with various aspects of the job, absenteeism and absence control plans, labor relations, and safety. The company, the union, and the individual miner agreed to three ground rules: interviews would be voluntary, interviews would be confidential, and no reports would be issued that would identify individual miners, or small groups of miners. RESULTS: Individuals become miners because the pay and the benefits seem to be attractive. In general, miners are quite satisfied with the mines in which they work and the jobs that they have. They are generally not satisfied with rotating shifts. Most feel pressure to mine safely, but don"t feel much pressure to get the coal out, work overtime, or work idle days. Absences often seem to be planned at least a few days in advance. Most miners indicated that the major causes of absence, aside from accidents and illness, were due to the attractiveness of off-the-job activities ("being with family", "enjoying time off, "personal reasons"). About 45% of the miners suggested that management makes exceptions in the administration of the absence control plan, while only 28% claimed that the plan was too severe. 21 ACCESSION NUMBER : 8516 TITLE : ENTRY DATE : 04/25/85 REVIEW DATE : 04/25/86 TRAM VIII: TRAINING RESOURCES APPLIED TO MINING. PROCEEDINGS OF A CONFERENCE HELD AT THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV., AUGUST 23-26, 1981 AUTHOR(S) : BENNETT, J. D.-PROCEEDINGS EDITOR MO-YR PUBLISHED : 8/81 SOURCE : PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV. CONTRACT NO. : CONTRACT FINAL REPORT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS JOURNAL ARTICLE RULES, REGS, OR LAWS MSHA SERIES FOREIGN VOLUME : ISSUE : CONT. ADD. : U. PARK, PA 16802 BUREAU RESEARCH CENTER : CONTRACT PHASE REPORT USBM SERIES MANUAL OR GUIDE SEMINARS OR TRAINING : X OTHER AGENCY MISCELLANEOUS NTIS NO. : START PAGE : 1 DESCRIPTIVE TERMS : OFRNO. LENGTH OTHER NO. 261 TRAINING, SAFETY, ORGANIZATIONAL PRACTICES, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, FOREMEN, PRODUCTIVITY, MAINTENANCE, TRUCKS, SELF-RESCUERS, LONGWALL MINING, MINING ABSTRACT : PURPOSE: To publish the proceedings of a conference on training resources applied to mining. PROCEDURE: The papers presented at TRAM VIII: Training Resources Applied to Mining, a conference held at the Pennsylvania State University during August 23-26,1981, were gathered. RESULTS: The proceedings of this conference were published and contain 30 papers. Topics covered include: organizational development to improve management/labor relations, two approaches to organization development for mine safety, management development in the coal mining industry, mine management training, productivity training at Bethlehem, training front line foremen, longwall training, the haulage truck training system, effective maintenance training, new equipment maintenance training, hydraulic cost reduction, planning of mandatory training programs, tailoring training materials for your mine, management commitment, methods of job transfer, Consol's new first aid course, self-rescurer and emergency medical training, computer-aided instruction, slide/tape presentations, TV or not TV, and capabilities and limitations of low-cost graphic media. INT.BU.OF MINES,PGH.,PA 29089 ^MOJC 13 m go^ifl z «L _i • > ■n O O ■n *n O Departm au of Mil E Street Kington, au > l ■g r- 1 o- = ■& CO _ I <& nterior #9800 8 m D c > i- O TJ "TJ O C z m -o 5 -< m 3D 298- .90 77** A <► ^ aT .•W2fe.\ A>*^e. > "*b a* .*'•• ^>*. o* .•■•♦ *b / ,»»i, ^ * v"cf> - »«S^.*. v» A* ».« ' ^ >?**. ^°* ^^' ^\ aV" .^"^ ^ .0^ *•"•* ^O A^ A v «?. 'o«o- A ^»' «^^ 'Hi' A« <>. *o B o 9 -^ v v «*•«- ^ A*. °- Aii^%. * -ask. - y.-^fc-^ co*.-5Ki^ ^ sPv. a^^ ^k aV -•i«-f»- f ,0 ^°^ »p^ t.^1^^; a5°^ • ^. A^ *^ aPt!» ♦" 0* ^ A* V< * P *P^. ♦ A v ' : j>*« £*!• > ^*'"° 9 .<^ »bK o5°^ ♦♦*% 'v-d* .4? -t«^- ^ Q 1 n- bV" • • • A bV ^ v \ *bv^ HECKMAN BINDERY INC. Jg^ JUL 90 W^W N. MANCHESTER, ^gg^ INDIANA 46962 o V