Human Factors and Mining Machinery

Scientists and engineers have been actively studying and applying Human Factors since 1900. In spite of this, equipment for both personal and industrial use continues to be designed with little or no attention given to the basic principles of Human Factors. This fact is demonstrated in this paper with examples drawn from underground coal mining equipment, but the examples could as easily have been drawn from other industries.

Given the history of Human Factors, it appears the problem is one of implementation not lack of information. Some or all of this problem is due to the fact that the people who design equipment are not trained in Human Factors, and do not appreciate its importance. This paper suggests it is time to re-evaluate academic curriculums to find a place for at least basic Human Factors training for those engineers likely to work as equipment designers.