An investigation of stress on coalface workers and the temporal variation of such stress. Final report on CEC Contract 6245-11/8/50

A survey was carried out in six British collieries to identify the potential physical stress problems associated with coal face work. This involved the detailed observation of the work and workplace of miners on the coal face, face-ends and adjacent areas, supported by informal interviews and discussions.The survey showed that dynamic physical work had been replaced, to some extent, by static and postural muscle loading, creating new demands on the workforce that could not be alleviated by work-rest schedules or similar stress-reduction techniques. On the basis of the survey results, a number of measures of stress were selected from those reported in the literature, to cover the range of problems identified both in terms of their nature and the duration of any effects. These measures were examined in detail including experimental trials. As a result, heart rate and electromyographic ‘frequency shifts’ were chosen for use in further investigative activity. Two tasks identified during the initial survey as being particular sources of potential stress problem were then studied in more detail. These were arch-setting, and drilling with a handheld drill. Various sub-tasks within arch setting could be classified as heavy work on the basis of heart rates obtained whereas hand-held drilling was more variable, being moderate or heavy with occasional short periods classified as very heavy. The survey also identified stress problems produced by mechanisation, and attention was drawn to the need to consider ergonomic design principles to prevent such sources of stress from occurring.