Document Type
Conference Paper
Publication Date
2-2017
Abstract
The present study deals with the application of ergonomic intervention into a mining system with the view to increase its productivity. The effectiveness of the Ergonomic Work Rest Scheduling (EWRS) application, a vital tool of ergonomics, to reduce metabolic energy cost and increasing productivity with Effective Utilization of Man shift (EUMS) is the main focus of the study. Thirty five healthy underground trammers (N=35) were chosen based on some pre-determined criteria for the assessment. The personnel chosen from the mine were taken on the basis of experience of more than one year with no record of past illness. The study was performed in two different zones for one month of period each, one before application of EWRS and another after application of EWRS. Cardiac frequency of indirect physical parameters like Working Heart Rate (WHR) is recorded continuously at five seconds intermissions with a portable heart rate monitor. In case of Average Working Heart Rate (AWHR) value, it was seen that two different spells of after EWRS application value found lower than before EWRS application AWHR value. Different Cardiac Cost (CC) values like Net cardiac Cost (NCC) and RCC (Relative Cardiac Cost) also followed the trend of AWHR i.e. a significantly lower range after EWRS application. It was observed that application of appropriate EWRS has positively withdrawn the effect of the extra burden on mine workers. Perceived exertion scale had gone down to 13.91 as compared to before EWRS value of 15.11. It was also seen that application of EWRS effectively reduced the Net Metabolic Cost (NMC). The NMC of two different spells after application of EWRS seemed to be lower than that of Previous. After application of EWRS, NMC had gone down by 34.5% in the case of the spell 1and 38.1 % in the case of spell 2. Physiological job stress had been minimized by implementing adequate EWRS in between different working spells. Hence, it could be suggested that an implementation of EWRS and in depth ergonomic intervention would be very effective to minimize work-stress related problems and thereby increasing work efficiency and productivity of miners.
Publication Details
Netai Chandra Dey, Shibaji Ch. Dey and Gourab Dhara Sharma, Importance of ergonomic application for the improvement of coal productivity in mines, in Naj Aziz and Bob Kininmonth (eds.), Proceedings of the 17th Coal Operators' Conference, Mining Engineering, University of Wollongong, 8-10 February 2017, 306-313.