An analysis of injuries to front-end loader operators during ingress and egress

Abstract

Slips, trips, and falls from mobile mining equipment have been documented for decades. However, little research has been conducted to determine the events precipitating these incidents during ingress or egress. This study examined slips, trips, and falls sustained during ingress or egress from front-end loaders to determine the frequencies of factors that may contribute to injuries. Non-fatal injuries, when getting on or off of front-end wheel loaders specifically, were identified, coded, and analyzed from the Mine Safety and Health Administration's accidents, injuries, and illnesses database. Overall trends, events that precipitated the injury, injuries sustained, contributing factors, location of the individual, and equipment characteristics were analyzed. More incidents occurred during egress (63%); and egress is believed to be more hazardous than ingress. Foot slips were the most common event that precipitated the incident and the leading cause of these was contaminants on the equipment. Misstep, loss of footing, and step on/in related incidents were more common during egress and are likely due to the operator's reduced visibility when descending a ladder facing the equipment, limiting their ability to detect hazards. Egress also makes an operator less capable of avoiding unsafe ground conditions as indicated by the significant number of step on/in injuries occurring on the ground during egress. Most of the front-end loaders associated with the incidents were found to have bottom rungs with flexible rails, which may also increase fall risk during egress due to inconsistent rung heights and lengthy transition areas from the ground, through the flexible-railed rungs, to the rungs with rigid rails. Recommendations are provided to reduce the risk for slips, trips, and falls from mobile mining equipment.

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“…This is consistent with injury data from mobile mining equipment and general ladder use. Nasarwanji et al (2018) determined that over 60% of the STF injuries to mining front-end loader operators occur during egress, 25% occur during ingress, and another 11% occur during maintenance or other activities. Santos et al (2010) found a similar proportion in mining haul truck operators, with 46% of all non-fatal injuries to haul truck operators occurring during egress and 23% occurring during ingress.…”

“…One study found that most falls from mobile mining equipment occur during ingress (climbing into the cab from the floor/ground) or egress (exiting from the cab to the floor/ground) (Moore et al, 2009). A recent analysis of STFs from front-end loaders during ingress and egress revealed that over 60% of the injuries occur during egress and 25% occur during ingress (Nasarwanji et al, 2018). This is slightly higher than statistics previously reported for haul truck operators, where most nonfatal injuries (46%) occurred during egress, with a smaller but still large portion (23%) having occurred during ingress (Santos et al, 2010).…”

“…Of the 1291 front-end loaders associated with injuries from a previous analysis, 78.4% were found to use vertical ladders as the ingress/ egress system and another 10.7% used inclined ladders. Only 3% used stairs or a combination of stairs and ladders (Nasarwanji et al, 2018). When ladders are used, personal, environmental, and design-related factors affect safe outcomes (Cohen and Lin, 1991;Shepherd et al, 2006).…”

“…Environmental factors such as the presence of contaminants can contribute to hazardous conditions, and inadequate illumination can reduce the likelihood of hazard detection. Nonfatal STFs on haul trucks and front-end loaders have been associated with environmental conditions such as wet, icy, and muddy ground and ladders (Santos et al, 2010;Nasarwanji et al, 2018). Design-related factors, such as the inclination of the ladder, the location and type of handrails, and the length of the ladder also contribute to STF risks (Chang et al, 2004;Axelsson and Carter, 1995).…”

“…The authors proposed several ladder redesign suggestions, but no information is available on the implementation of these redesigns in the field. Most recently, Nasarwanji et al (2018) recommended improved maintenance and housekeeping of ladders and safe parking areas to improve safety during ingress and egress from mobile mining equipment.…”