Interactive mobile equipment safety task-training in surface mining

Abstract

Improving the quality of equipment training for the Heavy Equipment Operators (HEO) is a critical task in improving safety and eliminating equipment-related injuries in mining. One of major responsibilities for the HEOs is proper machine inspection. Traditional miner safety training includes the use of hardcopy documents and video instructions. However, modern mobile and computer technology offers tremendous potential to improve the training process. In this study, we apply a 360-degree camera, open-source platform WordPress™, and the software Unity3D in order to create materials and tools for the HEOs safety training to help trainees better understand the pre-shift safety machine inspection. The computer-based safety task training developed in this research is tested and implemented at a surface mine in the southern United States.