Is There a Difference in Brain Functional Connectivity between Chinese Coal Mine Workers Who Have Engaged in Unsafe Behavior and Those Who Have Not?

Abstract

(1) Background: As a world-recognized high-risk occupation, coal mine workers need various cognitive functions to process the surrounding information to cope with a large number of perceived hazards or risks. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the connection between coal mine workers’ neural activity and unsafe behavior from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. This study explored the functional brain connectivity of coal mine workers who have engaged in unsafe behaviors (EUB) and those who have not (NUB). (2) Methods: Based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a total of 106 workers from the Hongliulin coal mine of Shaanxi North Mining Group, one of the largest modern coal mines in China, completed the test. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (COR) analysis, brain network analysis, and two-sample t-test were used to investigate the difference in brain functional connectivity between the two groups. (3) Results: The results showed that there were significant differences in functional brain connectivity between EUB and NUB among the frontopolar area (p = 0.002325), orbitofrontal area (p = 0.02102), and pars triangularis Broca’s area (p = 0.02888). Small-world properties existed in the brain networks of both groups, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex had significant differences in clustering coefficient (p = 0.0004), nodal efficiency (p = 0.0384), and nodal local efficiency (p = 0.0004). (4) Conclusions: This study is the first application of fNIRS to the field of coal mine safety. The fNIRS brain functional connectivity analysis is a feasible method to investigate the neuropsychological mechanism of unsafe behavior in coal mine workers in the view of brain science.

Effect of Shift Work on Cognitive Function in Chinese Coal Mine Workers: A Resting-State fNIRS Study

“…For further interpretation of the difference among these three groups of functional connectivity, the COR matrix was binary transformed. Similar to previous studies, the threshold was set as 0.7 [ 33 ]. In this study, it is defined that if , ; otherwise, [ 33 ].…”

“…Similar to previous studies, the threshold was set as 0.7 [ 33 ]. In this study, it is defined that if , ; otherwise, [ 33 ]. The paired t -test was used to compare before and after the shift work in three groups.…”

“…Compared with subjective and behavioral measures, as a reliable quantitative assessment, neurophysiological measurements such as resting-state functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) could be introduced to further explore the effect of shift work on cognitive function. In recent years, fNIRS has been considered an emerging imaging technique in a safe, cost-effective, comfortable, and portable way to investigate safety problems [ 31 , 32 , 33 ]. In neuroscience, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an accepted key brain area of human cognitive functions [ 34 ].…”

Establishing the root causes of unsafe behaviors among construction workers: an integrative interpretive structural modeling analysis

“…Achieving zero fatalities and accidents in the construction industry is hampered by worker behavior. Scholars have highlighted the increasingly significance of a positive safety climate on improved construction productivity 10 . Similarly, studies have examined the nexus between worker productivity, the construction-worker safety, and construction project performance 13 , 14 .…”

“…Unsafe worker behavior has been described as actions or decisions made by workers, which increases the risk of injury or harm to themselves or others 9 . Such behavior has been identified as a major contributor to the increasing levels of non-compliance with the extant health and safety regulations and poor safety climate performance, especially in developing countries like India where labor intensive construction practices persist 10 . Acknowledging the significant contribution of unsafe construction worker behavior to the prevalence of unsafe working practices on construction sites, different scholars have sought to identify the causes of such behavior among workers 11 .…”