New NIOSH Android App Addresses Ergonomics in Mining

Contact: Christina Spring, (202) 245-0633

New NIOSH Android App Addresses Ergonomics in Mining

A new mobile app for ergonomic audits in the mining industry is now available from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The app, ErgoMine, is available for Android devices and provides an ergonomic assessment for three types of operations in the mining industry: bagging, maintenance and repair, and haul truck operations. By asking users a series of questions about work tasks and worksite conditions, ErgoMine produces recommendations for ergonomic improvements in a final summary which details the results of the audit. The app also provides the option for users to email the recommendations to themselves or others for further review.

The new app gives mine workers without formal ergonomics training a tool for auditing their workplaces and identifying issues with their workplace conditions or with the way work is performed. Users of the app might review the tools and equipment on a worksite or other factors such as postures adopted while working. The ergonomics and safety improvements suggested by the app can help prevent musculoskeletal injuries and promote health, safety, and efficiency.

ErgoMine is modular, and the app automatically selects appropriate modules based on the responses to questions about the nature of the operations at a particular site. The user can also choose to complete all or some modules to allow flexibility such as when doing a before-and-after comparison of a particular workstation.

The app, created by NIOSH’s Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, is designed to work on Android smartphones and tablets, and comes with its own pdf help guide. To download the ErgoMine app, go to the Google Play store and search “ErgoMine.” For more about the software and the benefits of conducting audits of your workplace, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/works/coversheet1906.html.

NIOSH is the federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths. For more information about NIOSH visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/.