Abstract
A research project that is sponsored by the Bureau of Mines, Department of Interior and conducted by Ohio State University is analyzing the accidents caused by hand tools used in the underground coal, metal, and nonmetal mining industries. To describe the accident types and the resulting injuries, a thorough search was conducted of a computer data base of mining-related accidents. After sorting for data pertaining to hand tools, analyses were carried out to determine likely scenarios, and their probability of occurrence, for the various hand tool injuries. This project, which summarized accident data for a six-year period, is the first comprehensive evaluation of hand tool accident data related to underground mining. The method of accident classification, which is based on accident type, part of body injured, and nature of the injury, allows assessment of the key components of the hand tool injury. Furthermore, this analysis, in conjunction with the scenario development, provides direction for future research into hand tool ergonomics.
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