The ergonomics of the maintenance of mining equipment (including ergonomic principles in designing for maintainability). Final report on CEC Contract 7247/12/008

The report describes a survey of the ergonomic limitations inherent in underground mining equipment design which inhibit efficient and safe maintenance. The four types of equipment which were chosen for the survey could all be expected to incur considerable down time costs if maintenance times where extended because of poor ergonomic features in their design. These were roadheading machines, shearers, powered roof supports and face-end electrical equipment. A representative sample of equipment was studied during both underground maintenance and surface overhaul at eleven collieries and at six Central Workshops. A large proportion of the ergonomic limitations were found to fall within three broad categories: accessibility, manual force requirements and mechanical handling.A survey of designers’ ergonomic information requirements revealed that virtually no recognised ergonomic information was used in the design process, and that certain styles of information presentation were more suited to the design process than others. A survey of the literature showed that, especially in the areas of accessibility, manual force limits and mechanical handling aids, there was a general lack of practical design information. Studies were therefore conducted in each of the three areas and design guidelines have been produced from the results.Ergonomic limitations in maintenance activities are essentially the same across quite different types of mining machines, and consequently these guidelines can be applied in the design of a wide range of equipment.