Fatigue of Miners as a Key Factor in the Work Safety System

Abstract

Fatigue and the accompanying psychomotor and mental state of employees is one of the major factors contributing to workplace accidents. Fatigue's effects are most dangerous in particularly hazardous professions such as underground work. Hence the development of a system whose measurable goal is to reduce the number of work accidents and mistakes and to improve the health and well-being of people employed in underground coal mines. Therefore, a safety system is proposed, which on the one hand would offer the possibility to control the person working underground in terms of the appearing fatigue and possibility of making errors, and at the same time would take into account organizational and environmental fatigue factors. An essential part of the fatigue-oriented safety system is the need to identify the typology of the sources of fatigue unrelated to working conditions such as lifestyle, nutrition, qualifications, physical activity of workers, pace of work, as well as stress levels determined by e.g., domestic situations. Fatigue factors have been identified within the work safety system. Among environmental factors contributing to miner fatigue, indicated are the ones most affecting the fatigue phenomenon, namely: microclimate, noise and its components, vibration, air composition and its movements (flow), changes in pressure, lighting, impact of limited natural light, radiation and dust. The miner fatigue management system outlines the source of fatigue. Lastly, defined are the activities of the work safety system, which should fulfill the role of an advisory and decision-making tool capable of: (1) selection of operational measures for identified critical situations, according to a specific source of fatigue with regard to the current work situation, (2) selection of work tasks according to psychomotor characteristics of miners working in the excavation of coal, (3) selection of employees to task groups, (4) selection of recommended work tasks for an employee in order to reduce the effect of a particular fatigue factor, (5) definition of standardized work scenarios aimed at reducing excessive fatigue and its effects on the work process.