MINE SAFETY
40 E&MJ; • FEBRUARY 2018 www.e-mj.com
utilizing strict shift work schedules. Both
were able to successfully adopt a lighting
solution using highly blue-enriched light
sources to provide enough illumination
and short-wavelength light throughout the
day to reduce the misalignment of circadi-
an rhythms (Najjar et al., 2014; Young et
al., 2015), which also led to an increase
in alertness and quality of sleep.
Using these lights during the night
shift, however, would contribute to the
disruption of circadian rhythms. Yet work-
ers still need light to do their jobs. One
potential solution is to use light sources
with longer wavelengths of light falling in
the red spectrum. Research has shown
that red light can increase alertness and
performance without impacting circadian
rhythms (Figueiro et al., 2016).
Such a lighting solution would be chal-
lenging to implement in a mine environ-
ment, and the exact nature of an interven-
tion remains a subject for future research.
However, improving the lighting conditions
has the benefit of making hazards more
visible to miners, and NIOSH researchers
are hopeful it can also serve as an effective
fatigue intervention in underground mines.
Max J. Martell is a mining engineer work-
ing at the National Institute for Occu-
pational Safety and Health's Pittsburgh
Mining Research Division. He can be
reached at MMartell@cdc.gov.
Disclaimer
The findings and conclusions in this pa-
per are those of the authors and do not
necessarily represent the official position
of the National Institute for Occupation-
al Safety and Health, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
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