Date of Award

Fall 12-6-2023

Degree Type

Publishable Paper

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Industrial Hygiene

Committee Chair

Dave Gilkey

First Advisor

Daniel Autenrieth

Second Advisor

Scott Rosenthal

Abstract

This study compares data from a new rock drill (Epiroc HRD-100) to a previous study's data from a jackleg drill. The HRD-100 is a handheld hydraulic drill. It employs vibration dampening by design and a soft-start function, to reduce vibration exposures and a hydraulic feed leg that may aid in the reduction of required exertion on the part of the operator, as compared to that ofa jackleg drill. A 2007 study from South Africa found that a hydraulic drill produced a higher degree of vibration than a pneumatic drill (Phillips et al., 2007). Epiroc's product brochure lists HRD acceleration at 11m/s2 and the average acceleration of a jackleg drill was found in a study by Clemm et al to be 28.Sm/s 2 (Clemm et al., 2021). The pilot study found jackleg acceleration to be 15.62 m/s2 without an anti-vibration glove or an anti-vibration handle (control condition) and measured at the palm of the operator (Kremer et al., 2021). A "Jackleg drill" describes a pneumatic handheld tool with a feed leg that is used in the mining industry to drill holes into rock (Clark et al., 2016). These drills may be used to enable blasting or assist with things like mine rehabilitation efforts (Clark et al., 2016). The drill leverages rotary and percussive force to produce holes. The impact of that force subjects the operator to Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) (Sridhar et al., 2022). Vibration is considered a risk factor for the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD)s such as Vibration Syndrome (HA Vs) (Sridhar et al., 2022; Nilsson et al., 2017). Workers exposed to HAV have a 4-5-fold increased risk for development of neurosensory and vascular injury (Nilsson et al., 2017). The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) suggests that a time-weighted average (TWA) of Sm/s2 not be exceeded in an 8-hour workday to protect inost healthy workers froin developing past stage 1 of Vibration - Induced White Finger Syndrome (VWF) (ACGIH., 2023). The operation of a jackleg drill also requires a high level of physical exertion on the part of the worker (Lavender & Marras, 1990), especially one who is not yet experienced with them (Weston et al., 2016). Overexertion also contributes to WMSD development, which is considered the second most common cause of lost days in mining (WMSHTRC) (Lavender & Marras, 1990). Instruments intended to control the impact of drill vibration on workers, such as anti-vibration gloves and anti-vibration handles, are commercially available. However, a previous study found that these instruments offer little vibration reduction compared to the exertion cost incurred by operators (Clark et al., 2016). The previous study that is referenced in this paper investigated HAV exposures and forearm exertion in four drilling conditions: a control of traditional handle with no anti-vibration gloves (TH/NG), a traditional handle with gloves (TH/G), an anti-vibration handle with no anti-vibration gloves (AV/NG), and an anti-vibration handle with anti-vibration gloves. This study assessed HAV exposures and forearm exertion experienced by those who operated the HRD-100 Drill. The following hypothesis were adopted to investigate whether there was a significant benefit associated with the use of the alternate drill for this study: Hol(null): There will be no significant difference in mean HAV exposure between the HRD- 100 and the other drill conditions (TH/NG, TH/G, AV /NG, AV /G). HAl(alternate ): There will be a significant difference in mean HAV exposure between the HRD- 100 and other drill conditions. Ho2: There will be no significant difference in muscle exertion levels between the HRD-100 and other drill conditions. HAl: There will be a significant difference in muscle exertion levels between the HRD-100 and other drill conditions.

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