2
often severe nature of these accidents, the regulatory body
for the U.S. mining sector, the Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA), has launched several initiatives in
recent years to reduce the occurrence of accidents involving
powered haulage and mobile equipment, including provid-
ing technical assistance to mine sites, developing training
materials, and gathering information from industry organi-
zations and other interested parties [3,4]. To further address
the issue, MSHA has proposed a new regulation that would
require mine operators with six or more workers to develop
and implement written safety programs to evaluate and
address the risks of surface mobile equipment in the min-
ing industry. As of this writing the most recent rule-making
action was in 2022 when the proposed rule was reopened
for public comment [5].
In addition to industry regulators, academic and
research organizations have also sought ways to reduce the
risks associated with powered haulage and mobile equip-
ment. Previous analyses have attributed these accidents to
loss of vehicle control, lack of hazard recognition ability, and
human performance [6–11]. Similarly, a recent analysis by
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) of 91 haul-truck-related fatal incidents from
2005 to 2018 revealed that most of the accidents resulted
in a haul truck colliding with the environment, and many
of these events were initiated by loss of situational aware-
ness or loss of control by the operator [12]. These analyses
have been useful in identifying contributing factors and fre-
quency of accident types however, more work needs to be
done to clarify why haul truck accidents continue to occur
and how they might be avoided. Specifically, one challenge
in the analysis of haul truck related fatal incidents is that
the operator’s first-hand account is often missing. This is
because, most frequently the victim, the operator’s voice
and perspective are entirely lost.
Therefore, the goal of this work is to gain a better
understanding of how haul truck operators perceive haz-
ards and how they utilize their skills and expertise to react
to challenging or non-routine scenarios. Researchers aim
to gain a greater depth of knowledge about how haul truck
operators make decisions and to determine what strategies
have been successful in coping with real-world challenges.
To do this, the critical decision method (CDM) was used to
gather insights from individual operators regarding actual
near-miss events they have experienced.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to identify strategies haul
truck operators have used to manage challenging or non-
routine situations. This study specifically focuses on
decision-making, lessons learned, heuristics, sensory cues,
and mental strategies utilized by haul truck operators dur-
ing these challenging events such as minor accidents or
near-miss events. The study results can be used to inform
the development of training and safety solutions to avoid or
mitigate haul truck accidents.
METHODOLOGY
As part of a larger study to characterize haul truck health
and safety issues [13, 14], NIOSH researchers developed
and utilized a semi-structured Critical Decision Method
(CDM) interview guide to better understand how haul
truck operators respond to challenging or non-routine
situations.
The CDM, as outlined by Klein et al. [15] and Crandall
et al. [16], is a multi-pass retrospective interview technique.
The CDM is used to examine real-world, high-stakes, time-
limited decisions with the goal of identifying patterns,
strategies, and cues that influenced the decision-making.
By examining challenging and non-routine events using a
timeline reconstruction approach that is augmented with
probing questions, the CDM can elicit tacit knowledge
that might not be otherwise articulated by the interviewee
when describing their decision-making process. In this
study participants were asked to recall a specific haul truck
incident in which they were directly involved one that was
particularly challenging, and where their knowledge, skills,
and decision-making abilities played a role in the outcome
of the incident. They first described the incident in detail
to the interviewer while a note taker began building a time-
line of each decision and action that took place during the
event. The interviewer then asked clarifying and probing
questions to elicit additional details about each decision
and action. These probing questions helped the partici-
pant recall not only the intricate details of the event, but
their internal thoughts as it unfolded. As the timeline of
decisions and actions was constructed, corresponding con-
textual elements, such as sensory cues, perceptions, and
cognitions, were added. The initial timeline created during
the interview served as a visual aid during the discussion. It
also provided a scaffold for adding additional details dur-
ing the post-interview. Overall, the strategy aims to clearly
document the incident from the interviewee’s perspective.
Participants
To recruit haul truck operators from surface mine sites in the
United States, researchers utilized convenience and snow-
ball sampling methods [17]. Mining companies were first
contacted via email or phone communication to determine
interest in participating in the study. If a mining company
often severe nature of these accidents, the regulatory body
for the U.S. mining sector, the Mine Safety and Health
Administration (MSHA), has launched several initiatives in
recent years to reduce the occurrence of accidents involving
powered haulage and mobile equipment, including provid-
ing technical assistance to mine sites, developing training
materials, and gathering information from industry organi-
zations and other interested parties [3,4]. To further address
the issue, MSHA has proposed a new regulation that would
require mine operators with six or more workers to develop
and implement written safety programs to evaluate and
address the risks of surface mobile equipment in the min-
ing industry. As of this writing the most recent rule-making
action was in 2022 when the proposed rule was reopened
for public comment [5].
In addition to industry regulators, academic and
research organizations have also sought ways to reduce the
risks associated with powered haulage and mobile equip-
ment. Previous analyses have attributed these accidents to
loss of vehicle control, lack of hazard recognition ability, and
human performance [6–11]. Similarly, a recent analysis by
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) of 91 haul-truck-related fatal incidents from
2005 to 2018 revealed that most of the accidents resulted
in a haul truck colliding with the environment, and many
of these events were initiated by loss of situational aware-
ness or loss of control by the operator [12]. These analyses
have been useful in identifying contributing factors and fre-
quency of accident types however, more work needs to be
done to clarify why haul truck accidents continue to occur
and how they might be avoided. Specifically, one challenge
in the analysis of haul truck related fatal incidents is that
the operator’s first-hand account is often missing. This is
because, most frequently the victim, the operator’s voice
and perspective are entirely lost.
Therefore, the goal of this work is to gain a better
understanding of how haul truck operators perceive haz-
ards and how they utilize their skills and expertise to react
to challenging or non-routine scenarios. Researchers aim
to gain a greater depth of knowledge about how haul truck
operators make decisions and to determine what strategies
have been successful in coping with real-world challenges.
To do this, the critical decision method (CDM) was used to
gather insights from individual operators regarding actual
near-miss events they have experienced.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to identify strategies haul
truck operators have used to manage challenging or non-
routine situations. This study specifically focuses on
decision-making, lessons learned, heuristics, sensory cues,
and mental strategies utilized by haul truck operators dur-
ing these challenging events such as minor accidents or
near-miss events. The study results can be used to inform
the development of training and safety solutions to avoid or
mitigate haul truck accidents.
METHODOLOGY
As part of a larger study to characterize haul truck health
and safety issues [13, 14], NIOSH researchers developed
and utilized a semi-structured Critical Decision Method
(CDM) interview guide to better understand how haul
truck operators respond to challenging or non-routine
situations.
The CDM, as outlined by Klein et al. [15] and Crandall
et al. [16], is a multi-pass retrospective interview technique.
The CDM is used to examine real-world, high-stakes, time-
limited decisions with the goal of identifying patterns,
strategies, and cues that influenced the decision-making.
By examining challenging and non-routine events using a
timeline reconstruction approach that is augmented with
probing questions, the CDM can elicit tacit knowledge
that might not be otherwise articulated by the interviewee
when describing their decision-making process. In this
study participants were asked to recall a specific haul truck
incident in which they were directly involved one that was
particularly challenging, and where their knowledge, skills,
and decision-making abilities played a role in the outcome
of the incident. They first described the incident in detail
to the interviewer while a note taker began building a time-
line of each decision and action that took place during the
event. The interviewer then asked clarifying and probing
questions to elicit additional details about each decision
and action. These probing questions helped the partici-
pant recall not only the intricate details of the event, but
their internal thoughts as it unfolded. As the timeline of
decisions and actions was constructed, corresponding con-
textual elements, such as sensory cues, perceptions, and
cognitions, were added. The initial timeline created during
the interview served as a visual aid during the discussion. It
also provided a scaffold for adding additional details dur-
ing the post-interview. Overall, the strategy aims to clearly
document the incident from the interviewee’s perspective.
Participants
To recruit haul truck operators from surface mine sites in the
United States, researchers utilized convenience and snow-
ball sampling methods [17]. Mining companies were first
contacted via email or phone communication to determine
interest in participating in the study. If a mining company