Sponsor:

Queensland Department of Mines and Energy

Research Team:

Scott Shappell

Universities Involved:

Clemson University

Start Date:

03/01/08

End Date:

02/28/09

Summary:

To date, little research has been done on the causes of human error in mining. With the inherent risks associated with mining, preventing errors before they occur will lead to a reduction in injury, property damage, and death. In order to correct and prevent future incidents and accidents from occurring, it is important to discover their underlying causes so they can be either reduced, eliminated or their consequences mitigated.

This project will endeavor to unravel the face of human error associated with Australian mining accidents/incidents. To accomplish this, past data from mines across Queensland Australia will be analyzed using the Human Factors Analysis Classification System (HFACS) developed by Dr. Scott Shappell and Dr. Doug Wiegmann. The HFACS system examines the causes of human error on four different levels: unsafe acts, preconditions for unsafe acts, unsafe supervision, and organizational factors.