Implementation of an ergonomics process at a US surface coal mine

Since 1990 and the publication of the Ergonomics Program Management Guidelines for Meatpacking Plants by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, numerous reports of companies implementing ergonomics program have been published. However, despite these numerous reports, no examples of implementing an ergonomics program in the mining industry have been reported. In 2000, NIOSH initiated a long-term project to demonstrate the implementation of an ergonomics process designed to identify and reduce exposures to ergonomic risk factors found in mining. The mine selected for this project was the Jim Bridger Mine, a surface coal mine located 35 miles northeast of Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, WY. This paper discusses how a large, surface coal mine implemented an ergonomics program and the lessons learned while doing so.Relevance to industryIn 1998, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) submitted a formal request to NIOSH to investigate musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the mining industry. In response to MSHA's request, NIOSH initiated a project at the Jim Bridger Mine that involved the implementation of an ergonomics process. This manuscript provides examples of successful interventions as well as recommendations and lessons learned from the implementation of an ergonomics process that will be beneficial to those initiating similar efforts.