Conceptualization of the Attractive Work Environment and Organizational Activity for Humans in Future Deep Mines
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a futureoriented
human work environment and organizational activity in
deep mines that entails a vision of good and safe workplace. Futureoriented
technological challenges and mental images required for
modern work organization design were appraised. It is argued that an
intelligent-deep-mine covering the entire value chain, including
environmental issues and with work organization that supports good
working and social conditions towards increased human productivity
could be designed. With such intelligent system and work
organization in place, the mining industry could be seen as a place
where cooperation, skills development and gender equality are key
components. By this perspective, both the youth and women might
view mining activity as an attractive job and the work environment
as a safe, and this could go a long way in breaking the unequal
gender balance that exists in most mines today.
[1] L. Abrahamsson, B. Johansson, J. Johansson, "Future of metal mining:
Sixteen predictions," Int. J. of Mining Miner. Eng., vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 304-
312, 2009
[2] L. Abrahamsson, J. Johansson, "Future mining workers- skills, identity
and gender when meeting changing technology," in Proc. 1st Int. Future
Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 213 - 220.
[3] S. Hancock, D. Sinclair, "Meeting resource constraint demands in future
mining to 2050," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South
Wales, 2008, pp. 79- 82.
[4] G. Lane, C. Fountain, S. La Brooy, "Developments in processing to
match future mining opportunities," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining
Conf., New South Wales, 2008,, pp. 221- 227.
[5] N. Boughen, J. Parr, A. Littleboy, S. Johns, P. Ashworth, C. Yeats,
"Future mining of the Australian seafloor - do we have the social
license?," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales,
2008, pp. 7 5- 26.
[6] D. Noort, P. McCarthy, "The critical path to automated underground
mining," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales,
2008,, pp. 179- 182.
[7] S. M. Moore, E.R. Bauer, L. J. Steiner, Prevalence and cost of
cumulative injuries over two decades of technological advances: A look
at underground coal mining in the U.S., 2007,
www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/mining/pubs/pdfs/pacoc.pdf (last accessed 2nd
April, 2011).
[8] B. Johansson, J. Johansson, "Work environment and work organization
in the Swedish and Finnish mining industry: A baseline study of socioeconomic
effects of Northland resources ore establishment in Northern
Sweden and Finland, Project Report, Luleå Sweden: Luleå University of
technology, 2008.
[9] B. McPhee, "Ergonomics in mining," Occup. Med., vol. 54, pp. 297-303,
2004.
[10] Z. Zhuang, D. W. Groce, "The national occupational health survey of
mining: magnitude of potential exposures to musculoskeletal overload
conditions," Adv. Ind. Erg., vol. 7, pp. 273-280, 1995.
[11] J. Bassan, V. Srinivasan, P. Knights, C. T. Farrelly, "A day in the life of
a mine worker in 2025," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New
South Wales, 2008,, pp. 71 - 78.
[12] G. G├╝rtunca, "Possible impact of new safety technology developments
on the future of the United States mining industry," in Proc. 1st Int.
Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 3- 9.
[13] D. Burger, B. Cook, "Equipment automation for massive mining
methods," in Proc. 5th Int. Conf. on Mass Mining, Luleå, Sweden,
2008, pp. 493- 498.
[14] J. Johansson, L. Abrahamsson, "The good work: A Swedish trade union
vision in the shadow of lean production," Appl. Ergon., vol. 40, no. 4,
pp. 775-780, 2009.
[15] L. Abrahamsson, J. Johansson, "From grounded skills to sky
qualifications," J. Ind. Relat., vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 657-676, 2006.
[16] J. Revuelta, F. Reyes, R. Pozo, "El Teniente new mine level project," in
Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 39- 49.
[17] E. Widzyk-Capehart, E. Duff, "Automation: a blessing or a curse?," in
Proc. 16th Int. Sym. MPES, Irvine, CA, 2007, pp. 1122- 1133.
[18] M. S. Kizil, W. R. Hancock, "Internet-based remote machinery control,"
in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 151-
154.
[19] J. Skirde, M. Schmid, "Underground information technology
infrastructure - a sound basis for efficient future mining operations," in
Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 189-
199.
[20] P. Jarzabkowski, "Strategy as social practice: An activity theory
perspective on continuity and change," Journal of Management Studies,
vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 23-55, 2003.
[21] H. W. Hendrick, B. M. Kleiner, Macroergonomics: An Introduction to
Work System Design. Santa Monica: HFES, 2001.
[22] M. A. Sanda, Four Case Studies on the Commercialization of
Government R&D Agencies: An Organizational Activity Theoretical
Approach. Luleå, Sweden: Luleå University of Technology Press, 2006.
[23] M. A. Sanda, "Exploring the concept of emerging object of activities in
understanding the complexity of managing organizational change,"
presentation 2nd Conf. ISCAR, San Diego, U.S.A, 2008.
[24] H. W. Hendrick, "Organizational design and macroergonomics," in
Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics, G. Salvendy, Ed. New
York: Wiley, 1997, pp. 594-636.
[25] H. W. Hendrick, "An overview of macroergonomics," in
Macroergonomics: Theory, Methods and Applications, H. W. Hendrick,
B. M. Kleiner, Eds. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002,
pp. 1- 23.
[26] J. Lave, E. Wenger, Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral
Participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
[27] H. E. Aldrich, Organizations and Environments. Stanford, California:
Stanford University Press, 2008.
[28] J. Thompson, Organizations in Action. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
[29] J. E. Bardram, "Plans as situated action: An activity theory approach to
workflow systems," in Proc. 5th European Conf. on Computer
Supported Cooperative Work, Lancaster, 1997, pp. 17-32.
[30] Y. Engeström, Learning by Expanding: An Activity-Theoretical
Approach to Developmental Research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit.
1987.
[31] G. Bedny, W. Karwowski, A Systemic-Structural Theory Of Activity:
Applications To Human Performance And Work Design. Boca Raton:
CRC Press, 2007.
[32] A. N. Leontiev, "The problem of activity in psychology," Sov. Psychol.,
vol. 13, no, pp. 4-33, 1974.
[1] L. Abrahamsson, B. Johansson, J. Johansson, "Future of metal mining:
Sixteen predictions," Int. J. of Mining Miner. Eng., vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 304-
312, 2009
[2] L. Abrahamsson, J. Johansson, "Future mining workers- skills, identity
and gender when meeting changing technology," in Proc. 1st Int. Future
Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 213 - 220.
[3] S. Hancock, D. Sinclair, "Meeting resource constraint demands in future
mining to 2050," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South
Wales, 2008, pp. 79- 82.
[4] G. Lane, C. Fountain, S. La Brooy, "Developments in processing to
match future mining opportunities," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining
Conf., New South Wales, 2008,, pp. 221- 227.
[5] N. Boughen, J. Parr, A. Littleboy, S. Johns, P. Ashworth, C. Yeats,
"Future mining of the Australian seafloor - do we have the social
license?," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales,
2008, pp. 7 5- 26.
[6] D. Noort, P. McCarthy, "The critical path to automated underground
mining," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales,
2008,, pp. 179- 182.
[7] S. M. Moore, E.R. Bauer, L. J. Steiner, Prevalence and cost of
cumulative injuries over two decades of technological advances: A look
at underground coal mining in the U.S., 2007,
www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/mining/pubs/pdfs/pacoc.pdf (last accessed 2nd
April, 2011).
[8] B. Johansson, J. Johansson, "Work environment and work organization
in the Swedish and Finnish mining industry: A baseline study of socioeconomic
effects of Northland resources ore establishment in Northern
Sweden and Finland, Project Report, Luleå Sweden: Luleå University of
technology, 2008.
[9] B. McPhee, "Ergonomics in mining," Occup. Med., vol. 54, pp. 297-303,
2004.
[10] Z. Zhuang, D. W. Groce, "The national occupational health survey of
mining: magnitude of potential exposures to musculoskeletal overload
conditions," Adv. Ind. Erg., vol. 7, pp. 273-280, 1995.
[11] J. Bassan, V. Srinivasan, P. Knights, C. T. Farrelly, "A day in the life of
a mine worker in 2025," in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New
South Wales, 2008,, pp. 71 - 78.
[12] G. G├╝rtunca, "Possible impact of new safety technology developments
on the future of the United States mining industry," in Proc. 1st Int.
Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 3- 9.
[13] D. Burger, B. Cook, "Equipment automation for massive mining
methods," in Proc. 5th Int. Conf. on Mass Mining, Luleå, Sweden,
2008, pp. 493- 498.
[14] J. Johansson, L. Abrahamsson, "The good work: A Swedish trade union
vision in the shadow of lean production," Appl. Ergon., vol. 40, no. 4,
pp. 775-780, 2009.
[15] L. Abrahamsson, J. Johansson, "From grounded skills to sky
qualifications," J. Ind. Relat., vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 657-676, 2006.
[16] J. Revuelta, F. Reyes, R. Pozo, "El Teniente new mine level project," in
Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 39- 49.
[17] E. Widzyk-Capehart, E. Duff, "Automation: a blessing or a curse?," in
Proc. 16th Int. Sym. MPES, Irvine, CA, 2007, pp. 1122- 1133.
[18] M. S. Kizil, W. R. Hancock, "Internet-based remote machinery control,"
in Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 151-
154.
[19] J. Skirde, M. Schmid, "Underground information technology
infrastructure - a sound basis for efficient future mining operations," in
Proc. 1st Int. Future Mining Conf., New South Wales, 2008, pp. 189-
199.
[20] P. Jarzabkowski, "Strategy as social practice: An activity theory
perspective on continuity and change," Journal of Management Studies,
vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 23-55, 2003.
[21] H. W. Hendrick, B. M. Kleiner, Macroergonomics: An Introduction to
Work System Design. Santa Monica: HFES, 2001.
[22] M. A. Sanda, Four Case Studies on the Commercialization of
Government R&D Agencies: An Organizational Activity Theoretical
Approach. Luleå, Sweden: Luleå University of Technology Press, 2006.
[23] M. A. Sanda, "Exploring the concept of emerging object of activities in
understanding the complexity of managing organizational change,"
presentation 2nd Conf. ISCAR, San Diego, U.S.A, 2008.
[24] H. W. Hendrick, "Organizational design and macroergonomics," in
Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics, G. Salvendy, Ed. New
York: Wiley, 1997, pp. 594-636.
[25] H. W. Hendrick, "An overview of macroergonomics," in
Macroergonomics: Theory, Methods and Applications, H. W. Hendrick,
B. M. Kleiner, Eds. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002,
pp. 1- 23.
[26] J. Lave, E. Wenger, Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral
Participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
[27] H. E. Aldrich, Organizations and Environments. Stanford, California:
Stanford University Press, 2008.
[28] J. Thompson, Organizations in Action. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.
[29] J. E. Bardram, "Plans as situated action: An activity theory approach to
workflow systems," in Proc. 5th European Conf. on Computer
Supported Cooperative Work, Lancaster, 1997, pp. 17-32.
[30] Y. Engeström, Learning by Expanding: An Activity-Theoretical
Approach to Developmental Research. Helsinki: Orienta-Konsultit.
1987.
[31] G. Bedny, W. Karwowski, A Systemic-Structural Theory Of Activity:
Applications To Human Performance And Work Design. Boca Raton:
CRC Press, 2007.
[32] A. N. Leontiev, "The problem of activity in psychology," Sov. Psychol.,
vol. 13, no, pp. 4-33, 1974.
@article{"International Journal of Business, Human and Social Sciences:51447", author = "M. A. Sanda and B. Johansson and J. Johansson", title = "Conceptualization of the Attractive Work Environment and Organizational Activity for Humans in Future Deep Mines", abstract = "The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize a futureoriented
human work environment and organizational activity in
deep mines that entails a vision of good and safe workplace. Futureoriented
technological challenges and mental images required for
modern work organization design were appraised. It is argued that an
intelligent-deep-mine covering the entire value chain, including
environmental issues and with work organization that supports good
working and social conditions towards increased human productivity
could be designed. With such intelligent system and work
organization in place, the mining industry could be seen as a place
where cooperation, skills development and gender equality are key
components. By this perspective, both the youth and women might
view mining activity as an attractive job and the work environment
as a safe, and this could go a long way in breaking the unequal
gender balance that exists in most mines today.", keywords = "Mining activity; deep mining; human operators; intelligent deep mine; work environment; organizational activity.", volume = "5", number = "2", pages = "118-7", }