NorthEastern_Spotlight_EquipVibrations
Northeastern University researchers find that heavy surface mine equipment operators are likely to exceed ISO daily vibration limits when operating equipment for a full (8-hr shift). View Final Report
Blog
Kentucky_Spotlight_LongwallScrubber
Longwall shearer scrubber reduces dust concentrations in face walkway by 74 pct and with 56 pct less dust leaving the longwall face. View Final Report
CSM_Spotlight_GobExplosion-GEB-modified
Colorado School of Mines constructs test facility and studies flame propagation through rock rubble to investigate explosive behavior in longwall gobs. View Final Report
Berkeley_Spotlight_HeartDisease
University of California Berkeley study finds that failure to consider the healthy worker survivor bias can lead to highly misleading conclusions when analyzing the health impacts of hazardous exposures. View Final Report
Alpha Foundation Announces New Solicitation for Exploratory Projects on Targeted Topics in Mining Safety and Health Research
The Alpha Foundation announces its latest solicitation for exploratory research and development projects vital to meeting its mission of improving mining safety and health. The emphasis for this new solicitation AFC719, “Targeted Topics in Mining Safety and Health Research”, is to address mining safety and health gaps in the portfolio of previously-funded Alpha Foundation projects.
AFC113-11_Pittsburgh_FinalRpt_Approved
Connecting Dust Characteristics and Worker Health in Underground Coal Mining 1st Solicitation for Single Investigator Research Grants (AFC113) University of Pittsburgh (Grant number AFC113-11)
October 2017 Presentation
Presentation at the NIOSH Pittsburgh Mining Research Division by Dr. Michael Karmis, Foundation President. 17 October 2017
Annual Report-2017
The 2017 Alpha Foundation Annual Report can be found here.
Annual Report-2016
The 2016 Alpha Foundation Annual Report can be found here.
Alpha Foundation Annual Report Posted
The 2017 Annual Report for the Alpha Foundation is available here.
AFC215-41_MUST_FinalRpt_Approved
Management with Bag Barriers of Dust Explosion Risks in Underground Coal Mines 2nd Solicitation for Single Investigator Research Grants Missouri University of Science and Technology (Grant AFC215-41)
AFC215-20_Maryland_FinalRpt_Approved
Numerical Tools for Mitigation of Methane Explosions in Coal Mines 2nd Solicitation for Single Investigator Research Grants University of Maryland (Grant AFC215-20) Computational videos relevant to Final Report: 1) Interconnected channels, 2) 0.5-1.5 half channel, 3) 300 m reflected channel.
AFC417-39_PSU_Synopsis
A Holistic Approach to Reducing Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis (CWP) using Integrated Monitoring and Response Systems for Respirable Dust in Surface Mines and Facilities Penn State University (Grant Number AFC417-39)
Alpha Foundation Announces $4.5 Million for Holistic Mining Safety and Health Research Projects
The Alpha Foundation for the Improvement of Mine Safety and Health has announced approximately $4.5 million in new awards in the area of holistic mining safety and health research. The research projects are directed towards fulfilling the Foundation’s mission to improve mine safety and health through funding research and development projects by qualified academic institutions
AFC417-21_Kentucky_Synopsis
Autonomous Underground Mining Systems To Improve Safety – Intelligent Coal Mining University of Kentucky (Grant number AFC417-21)
AFC417-1_Illinois_Synopsis
Characteristics of Dust and Risk Factors Associated with the Development of Rapidly Progressive Pneumoconiosis and Progressive Massive Fibrosis University of Illinois (Grant Number AFC417-1)
AFC215-13_Kentucky_2017_ICGCM
A New Generation of Web-Based Applications for Mine Design Published in Proceedings 36th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining, Morgantown, WV, 2017 Newman, C. Agioutantis, Z. and Schaefer, N.
AFC215-13_Kentucky_SME_2017
Current Progress in the Development Of The WebGroundControl Application Published as Preprint 17-032 at SME Annual Meeting 2017, Denver, CO Newman, C. Agioutantis, Z. and Schaefer, N.
FC215_13_Kentucky_SME_2016
The Development of a Web-Based Platform for Ground Control Applications Published as Preprint 16-121 at SME Annual Meeting 2016, Phoenix, AZ Agioutantis, Z. and Newman, C.
AFC113-3_Northeaster_Annals of Work Exposures and Health
Whole Body Vibration Exposure and Injury Prevention of Heavy Equipment Operators in Open Pit Coal Mines Published in Annals of Work Exposures and Health, 61(6); 669–680, 2017. Marín, L. S., Rodríguez, A. C., Rey-Becerra, E., Piedrahita, H., Barrero, L. H., Dennerlein, J., Johnson, P.
AFC618-13_Summary
Using Wearable IMUs to Evaluate Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk in Underground Mining Activities South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Grant Number: AFC618-13)
AFC618-68_Summary
Evaluating the Effects of Multi-axial Whole Body Vibration Exposure on Postural Stability in Mining Heavy Equipment Vehicle Operators Oregon State University (Grant Number: AFC618-68)
AFC618-38_Summary
Effects of Whole Body Vibration Exposure on Physiological Stresses in Mining Heavy Equipment Vehicle Operators Oregon State University (Grant Number: AFC618-38)
AFC618-04_Summary
Coal Mining Risk of Arthritis, Including Auto-Immune Rheumatologic Disease University of California, San Francisco (Grant Number: AFC618-04)
AFC618-01_Summary
The Effect Of Dust Particles On Airway Mucus Viscosity And Mucociliary Transport University of California, Merced (Grant Number: AFC618-01)