DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

September 2008 

MINING FACTS – 2005 

Mining Operations 

In 2005, 14,666 mining operations reported 

employment statistics to the Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA).1

 Almost half (48.5%) 

were sand and gravel mines, followed by stone 

mines (30.6%), coal mines (14.1%), nonmetal mines 

(5.0%), and metal mines (1.8%). 

Employees 

There were 231,865 mine operator employees,2

 or 

242,879 full-time equivalent (FTE)3 workers 

reported. Employee hours for mine operators 

working at underground locations accounted for 

20.2%, while 79.8% of the employee hours were for 

surface work locations.4 

Of the 79,262 independent contractor employees (or 

45,726 FTE workers) reported to MSHA in 2005, 

41.2% were coal contractor employees and 58.8% 

were noncoal contractor employees. 

0

50

100

150

200

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Number of Employee Hours

(millions)

Coal Operator Metal Operator Nonmetal Operator

Stone Operator Sand & Gravel Oper Coal Contractor

Noncoal Contractor

Fatalities 

In 2005, there were 57 occupational mining 

fatalities, compared to 55 in 2004. The overall 

mining fatality rate was 19.8 per 100,000 FTE 

workers. 

• The fatality rate for mine operator employees 

was 20.6 per 100,000 FTE workers (n=50; 

87.7%), while the rate for contractor employees 

was 15.3 (n=7; 12.3%). 

• Sand and gravel operators had the highest fatality 

rate (26.3 per 100,000 FTE workers; n=9), 

followed by coal contractors (24.8; n=5). 

• The fatality rate at underground work locations 

was 37.7 per 100,000 FTE workers (n=20; 

35.1%) compared to 15.7 at surface locations 

(n=37; 64.9%). 

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Number of Fatalities

0

15

30

45

60

75

90

Fatality Rate

(per 100,000 Full-time Equivalent Employees)

Underground

Surface

UG Rate

Surf Rate

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries 

There were 8,310 nonfatal lost-time injuries reported 

to MSHA in 2005 (2,772 at underground and 5,538 

at surface work locations). These injuries occurred 

at a rate of 2.9 per 100 FTE workers and resulted in 

a total of 459,771 days lost from work.5 

• The underground nonfatal lost-time injury rate 

was greater than the surface injury rate (5.2 vs. 

2.4 per 100 FTE workers). 

• The back continued to be the most frequently 

reported body part injured, accounting for 1,591 

nonfatal lost-time injuries, 87,176 days lost from 

work, and 19.0% of all days lost. 

• Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=3,657; 44.0%).

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries

by Accident Class, 2001-2005

35%

9% 6% 10% 6%

24%

10%

Handling materials

Slip or fall of person

Machinery

Powered haulage

Hand tools

Fall of ground

All other

Note: "Fall of ground" includes MSHA's Accident/Injury/Illness classification for fall of face, rib, 

pillar, side, or highwall (from in place); fall of roof, back, or brow (from in place); and underground 

machinery cases when the source of injury was caving rock, coal, ore, or waste.
Mining Characteristics, 2005 

Commodity and 

Type of Employer 

No. of 

Mines1

No. of 

Companies 

No. of 

Employees2

No. of FTE

Employees3 Fatality Rate 

Nonfatal 

Lost-time 

Injury Rate 

Coal Operator 2,063 -- 78,281 87,184 19.5 3.5 

Metal Operator 263 -- 26,442 27,773 18.0 2.4 

Nonmetal Operator 739 -- 19,678 20,014 20.0 2.5 

Stone Operator 4,490 -- 69,759 73,650 20.4 3.1 

Sand and Gravel Operator 7,111 -- 37,705 34,258 26.3 2.5 

Operator Total 14,666 -- 231,865 242,879 20.6 3.0 

Coal Contractor -- 2,503 32,639 20,136 24.8 2.7 

Noncoal Contractor -- 4,297 46,623 25,590 7.8 1.6 

Contractor Total -- 6,800 79,262 45,726 15.3 2.1 

TOTAL 311,127 288,605 19.8 2.9 

Fatality rates were computed per 100,000 FTE employees. Nonfatal lost-time injury rates were computed per 100 FTE employees. 

Data source: Publicly released files of employment and accident/injury/illness data collected by MSHA under 30 CFR 50. 

Notes: All analyses exclude office employees, except for the total number of mining operations. Analyses of fatalities exclude all 

individuals under 17 years of age and all individuals who were not classified as employees of a mining operator or mining contractor. 

Further statistical methodology is available on the NIOSH Internet [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/method.htm]. 1

Mines at which only independent contractors were working did not show any employment and were not counted. 

2

Number of employees is the average number of persons working at individual establishments during calendar quarters of active 

 operations. 

3

Full-time equivalent employees computed using reported employee hours (2,000 hours = 1 FTE). 

4

Surface work locations include surface operations at underground mines (surface shops and yards, tipple physically located at the mine 

 site), surface operations (strip or open pit mines including associated shops and yards), auger mining operations, culm banks 

 (reworking of mine dumps or refuse pile), dredge (mining operations conducted from a platform floating on water), other surface 

 operations (brine pumping, etc.), independent shops and yards not associated with a specific mine, and mill or preparation plant. 5

Includes actual days away from work and/or days of restricted work activity. For permanently disabling injuries only, statutory days 

 charged by MSHA were used if they exceeded the total lost workdays. 

To receive NIOSH documents or for more information about 

occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH at 

1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636) 

1–888–232–6348 (TTY) 

e-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

or visit the NIOSH Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2008-149 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM