Predicting Fatigue of Haul Truck Operators Using Reaction Time

Details

• Journal Article:
  Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
• Personal Author:
  Talebi, Elaheh ; Rogers, W. Pratt ; Drews, Frank A.
• Description:
  Fatigue is a critical concern for haul truck operators in the mining industry, and early detection is essential for ensuring safe operations. Advances in wearable technology have made it possible to use smartwatches and applications to monitor an operator's reaction time continuously during the shift. Smartwatch applications can measure reaction time through simple tests such as a response time test or visual reaction time test. For this study, a custom application was used that displays different colors on the smartwatch's screen to measure users' reaction times. The data from these tests were analyzed to determine the operator's fatigue levels. Results showed that average reaction time slowed by approximately 30 milliseconds during the early morning hours (2-5 AM), corresponding to the circadian trough of alertness. This technology provides a non-intrusive, cost-effective, and continuous measurement of the operator's reaction time, enabling the detection of early signs of fatigue. This paper explores the feasibility, limitations, and benefits of using smartwatch applications to measure reaction time as a threshold indicator of fatigue in haul truck operators, building on recent advancements in fatigue modeling and monitoring in mining.
• Subjects:
  • Fatigue
  • Motor Vehicles
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Truck Drivers
  • Wearable Electronic Devices
• Keywords:
  • Mining industry; Fatigue; Wearable technologies; Haulage vehicles; Equipment operators; Drivers; Motor vehicles;
  • Author Keywords: Fatigue; Wearable technology; Reaction time; Mining; Haul truck operators
• Source:
  Min Metall Explor 2026 Apr; 43(2):1951-1972
• ISSN:
  2524-3462
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Utah ; Denver Region OSHA
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  22 pdf pages
• Volume:
  43
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071475
• Contact Point Address:
  Elaheh Talebi, Department of Mining Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
• Email:
  elaheh.talebi@utah.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20190901
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/259073/cdc_259073_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.21 MB]
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:01e43b3979393f51f6ae548d7a8dc6a0b6b1143e0be40dbf4b777e1824ab03448d0f39290fe04c42a575c98ef8a504be9a23d0200a98030f857a8d59a1a6f3fe