November 2020

Volume 72    Issue 11

Investigation of machine-mounted area lighting to lower injury risk from slips-trips-falls for operators of mobile surface mining equipment

Mayton, Alan G.; Demich, Brendan; Nasarwanji, Mahiyar F.

During dusk, nighttime and dawn operations, effective illumination is a crucial component of safety for getting on/off mobile surface mining equipment and for preshift inspections. U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) researchers examined whether illuminance levels could be improved for ingress/egress systems and preshift walkaround inspections of equipment using light-emitting diode (LED) area luminaires. Illumination and glare were key metrics evaluated. Although headlamps provided adequate illumination, LED area luminaires illuminated a much broader area compared to the narrow spot lighting of the headlamp. Hence, the use of additional area luminaires can increase slip-trip-fall (STF) hazard awareness and detection. Furthermore, a commercially available luminaire demonstrated better results than a custom LED luminaire relative to discomfort and disability glare.

 

Full-text paper:
Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42461-020-00239-0

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