Abstract

Mine shafts are drilled and stabilised on loose ground, which exposes workers to serious accidents caused by rock falls. This research will attempt to reduce this hazard, by developing a new method for stabilising mine shafts and determining the feasibility of an integrated platform-based system in which workers could perform all drilling, wall-bolting, and grating tasks associated with mine-shaft shoring. The use of this new system, based on both mechanical and ergonomic analyses, should reduce back disorders and cumulative trauma disorders among shaft workers. The mechanical performance of a prototype will be characterised, and its ergonomics validated through measurement of workers' responses.