A review of the impacts of human-machine cooperation on optimized resource extraction in the mining industry

Productivity of mining operations is important to the economic and social well-being of mining regions and nations. Mines are required to yield a return on capital investment for shareholders, thus underscoring the importance of productivity. Mining is operationally complex but can be defined by socio-technical systems that integrate technological and social subsystems. Productivity optimization strategies should target the whole system and not just subsystems. Maximizing the human-machine cooperation in the socio-technical system becomes important to optimally extract geological resources and generate the greatest benefit for stakeholders. Past research attention has been placed on the technical subsystem as opposed to the social subsystem and is particularly apparent in automation and other mining technology research. This paper reports on the optimization of mining productivity from a socio-technical perspective with attention placed on equipment operators through a review process. The paper highlights the need to understand the factors that drive differences in characteristic operating styles from the perspective of the operator. It proposes a human-factors approach to improving productivity in open pit mining operations.