Using Retroreflective Material to Enhance the Conspicuity of Coal Miners

This study investigated the use of retroreflective material to increase conspicuity of miners. A scaled simulation was created using dolls configured as miners. Twelve observers viewed four configurations of retroreflective material on dolls in three body postures at one of three locations in the visual field. In a subsequent experiment, nine observers compared two configurations. The results confirmed the poor conspicuity of the configuration currently required in mines, which features retroreflective tape on the helmet only. All experimental retroreflective configurations significantly improved detectability over this configuration. Overall, the most cost-effective configurations were those in which the belt and/or armbands were covered with retroreflective material.