Ergonomic Design of Mining Vehicle's Cab and Seat for Increased Driver's Comfort

An ergonomic cab and seat design for a mining vehicle adds flexibility and comfort to driving conditions. The mining vehicle seat, cab and locations of various hand and foot controls should be designed to accommodate 95% of the Indian driver population. Many factors need to be considered for the mining vehicle’s cab, seat and workplace design. The ergonomic design should permit ease of movement for driver getting on and off the mining vehicle, allow easy and uninterrupted access to all the controls and doesn’t give physical problems for prolonged working conditions. Better design of seat and controls results in reduction of driver’s effort and stress. Drivers in Indian mines are not as diverse a population as those in the United States and Great Britain, but they are not a homogeneous group either. They are necessarily representatives of a distinct population, this paper gives the specifications for ergonomically designed cab, seat and controls based on Indian anthropometric data.