The Necessity for Improved Hand and Finger Protection in Mining

Heberger, John R.; Nasarwanji, Mahiyar; Pollard, Jonisha P.; Kocher, Lydia

doi:10.1007/s42461-022-00557-5

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Millions of occupational workers suffer from hand injuries and illnesses that lead to significant healthcare burdens and lost productivity [ [1] , [2] , [3] , [4] ]. Apart from ergonomic factors such as exposure to mechanical hazards and repetitive work tasks, environmental factors such as exposure to cold and wet conditions represent major contributors to hand injuries and illnesses [ [5] , [6] , [7] ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Exposure to cold environments may cause cold injuries such as frostnip and frostbite [ 8 ] along with local peripheral cooling which adversely affects the physiological, biomechanical, and neurological functions of hands and fingers [ 8 , 9 ]. Reduced hand functionality may cause accidents and further hand injuries and illnesses [ 1 , 10 ]. However, many occupational workers simply cannot avoid working in cold and wet conditions, such as miners, construction workers, or poultry and warehouse workers having to work in indoor cold storage rooms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Analysis of glove local microclimate properties for various glove types and fits using 3D scanning method

Joshi,

Li,

et al. 2024

Heliyon

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of glove local microclimate properties for various glove types and fits using 3D scanning method

Joshi,

Li,

et al. 2024

Heliyon

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“…These injuries are often correlated to the use of machinery, material handling, and falling objects, which can produce wounds with varying degrees of severity with the consequent functional limitations. The resulting hand disabilities often require adjustments of work responsibilities, retraining, or even applying for permanent disability benefits [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanical Characterization of Synthetic Gels for Creation of Surrogate Hands Subjected to Low-Velocity Impacts

Sosa

Moure

2022

Gels

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The development of human body simulators that can be used as surrogates for testing protective devices and measures requires selecting synthetic materials with mechanical properties closely representative of the human tissues under consideration. For impact tests, gelatinous materials are often used to represent the soft tissues as a whole without distinguishing layers such as skin, fat, or muscles. This research focuses on the mechanical characterization of medical-grade synthetic gels that can be implemented to represent the soft tissues of the hand. Six grades of commercially available gels are selected for quasi-static hardness and firmness tests as well as for controlled low-velocity impact tests, which are not routinely conducted by gel manufacturers and require additional considerations such as energy level and specimen sizes relevant to the specific application. Specimens subject to impacts represent the hand thicknesses at the fingers, knuckles, and mid-metacarpal regions. Two impact test configurations are considered: one with the gel specimens including a solid insert representing a bone and one without this insert. The impact behavior of the candidate gels is evaluated by the coefficient of restitution, the energy loss percentage, and the peak reaction force at the time of impact. The resulting values are compared with similar indicators reported for experiments with cadaveric hands. Relatively softer gels, characterized by Shore OOO hardness in the range of 32.6 ± 0.9 to 34.4 ± 2.0, closely matched the impact behavior of cadaveric specimens. These results show that softer gels would be the most suitable gels to represent soft tissues in the creation of surrogate hands that can be used for extensive impact testing, thus, minimizing the need for cadaveric specimens.

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“…Recent injury trends in mining show a gradual decline of injury rates since 2010. 4 This has been attributed to improved rule enforcement, automation, increased safety awareness, and implementations of new safety technologies. 5,6 Even with the decreasing injury rates, mining-related injuries tend to be more severe because they average more days away from work compared with other industries.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mining is known for its physical, chemical, noise, whole body vibration, respiratory, ergonomic, thermal, and psychosocial occupational hazards 2 and its dangerous work situations 3 due to the nature of the work and the work environment. Recent injury trends in mining show a gradual decline of injury rates since 2010 4 . This has been attributed to improved rule enforcement, automation, increased safety awareness, and implementations of new safety technologies 5,6 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mining Injuries 2012-2019: Using Workers' Compensation Claims Data from 35 States to Identify Rates and Costs associated by Nature of Injury, Event/Exposure, and Body Part Affected

Heberger,

Wurzelbacher

2024

J Occup Environ Med

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Objective This study summarized the frequency and cost of mining-related injuries. Methods Mining-related workers’ compensation (WC) claims data from 35 states were summarized to report counts, claim rates, and costs for 2012–2019. These data were compared with Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) injury and employment data for the same period. Results Despite system differences, both WC and MSHA counts and rates declined over time and injury patterns were similar. Total WC costs were ~ $2.325B. Medical-only claims represented 59.4% of the claims by count, but only 3.3% of costs. Lost-time non-fatal claims represented 40.2% of the claims by count, but 90.2% of costs. Claims frequency and costs varied greatly by injury event/exposure, part of body, and nature. Conclusions Injury frequency has declined but costs remain high. The most costly and disabling cases were identified.

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The Necessity for Improved Hand and Finger Protection in Mining

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Analysis of glove local microclimate properties for various glove types and fits using 3D scanning method

Analysis of glove local microclimate properties for various glove types and fits using 3D scanning method

Mechanical Characterization of Synthetic Gels for Creation of Surrogate Hands Subjected to Low-Velocity Impacts

Mining Injuries 2012-2019: Using Workers' Compensation Claims Data from 35 States to Identify Rates and Costs associated by Nature of Injury, Event/Exposure, and Body Part Affected

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