Multi-method Evaluation of Haulage Trucks: Improvement in Occupational Health via Ergonomic Design

The goal of this project is to decrease the risk of work-related accidents associated with construction and mining vehicles. The reasons for these accidents are partly due to the dimensions of the vehicle, which prohibit the driver from seeing certain areas of the surrounding environment, creating blind spots. These blind spots make it impossible to see people or things in the environment. The intern will be asked to evaluate different cabin designs on a computer and let the organization known which one offered the least amount of blind spots. The intern will also be asked to go underground and collect information on six heavy equipment machines. She will be recording the driver's postures, how they move, and where they look when they drive these machines. Additionally, the intern will be required to create tools that can be used by vehicle designers when making virtual vehicles "human-friendly" and more comfortable.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Alison Godwin

Student:

Danielle Henry

Partner:

Sandvik Mining and Construction Canada Inc.

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Automotive and transportation

University:

Laurentian University