STONE OPERATOR 

MINING FACTS – 2004 

In 2004, a total of 4,401 stone mining operations 

reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA). Stone mines comprised 30.4% of all mining operations. 

•	 Mines producing the primary commodity of 

limestone (crushed and broken) comprised the 

largest number of operations (n=2,032; 46.2%). 

•	 Stone mining operations were located in all 

states and territories except Delaware. 

•	 Of all states, Pennsylvania had the most stone 

mines (n=379; 8.6%). 

A total of 68,417 employees,

1

 corresponding to 

71,153 full-time equivalent (FTE)2 employees, were 

reported to MSHA by stone mine operators in 2004. 

This was a 2.8% increase in the number of FTE 

stone operator employees from 2003. 

•	 Within the mining sectors,3 stone mine operator 

employees accounted for 26.3% of all employee 

hours reported. 

•	 Stone operator employee hours were reported for 

both underground (2.7%) and surface (97.3%) 

work locations.4 

0 

50 

100 

150 

200 

250 

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 

Number of Employee Hours

(millions) 

Coal Operator 

Metal Operator 

Nonmetal Operator 

Stone Operator 

Sand & Gravel Operator 

Coal Contractor 

Noncoal Contractor 

There were eight work-related fatalities among 

stone mine operator employees in 2004. These 

mining fatalities occurred at surface work locations. 

• The stone mine operator fatality rate for all work 

locations was 11.2 fatalities per 100,000 FTE 

employees. 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 

Number of Fatalities 

0 

10 

20 

30 

40 

Fatality Rate

(per 100,000 Full-time Equivalent Employees) 

Number 

Rate 

There were 2,309 nonfatal lost-time injuries (77 at 

underground and 2,232 at surface work locations) 

among stone operator employees occurring at a rate 

of 3.2 injuries per 100 FTE employees. A total of 

94,681 days lost5 from work resulted from these 

injuries. 

•	 The nonfatal lost-time injury rate for all stone 

operator employees was 3.2 per 100 FTE 

workers. The underground work location rate 

was 3.9, and the surface rate was 3.2. 

•	 The most frequent classification of nonfatal losttime injuries for stone operator employees 

involved handling materials (n=915; 39.6%). 

Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=1,045; 45.3%). 

•	 The back was the most frequently reported part 

of the body injured (n=507; 22.0%) and 

accounted for 23,666 days lost from work. 

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries 

by Accident Class, 2000-2004 

8% 11% 6%

25% 39% 

10% Handling materials 

Slip or fall of person 

Hand tools 

Machinery 

Powered haulage 

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. 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

September 2007 
In 2004, 89 cases of occupational illnesses were 

reported to MSHA by stone mine operators.6 This 

compares to 96 cases in 2003. 

•	 Joint, tendon, or muscle inflammation or irritation accounted for the most frequently reported 

occupational illnesses (n=35; 39.3%). 

•	 In 2004, there were 16 cases of hearing loss or 

impairment reported to MSHA (18.0% of all 

illnesses). This compares to 27 cases (28.1%) 

reported to MSHA in 2003. 

•	 Other illnesses reported included dermatitis 

(n=9; 10.1%) and heat stroke, sunstroke, heat 

cramps, etc. (n=9; 10.1%). 

Mining Characteristics, 2004 

Commodity and 

Type of Employer 

Coal Operator 

Metal Operator 

Nonmetal Operator 

Stone Operator 

Sand and Gravel Operator 

No. of 

Mines 

2,011 

251 

741 

4,401 

7,074 

No. of 

Companies 

--

--

--

--

--

No. of 

Employees 

73,024 

25,205 

19,432 

68,417 

37,000 

No. of FTE 

Employees 

80,069 

26,091 

20,183 

71,153 

33,364 

Fatality 

Rate 

28.7 

7.7 

5.0 

11.2 

24.0 

Nonfatal 

Lost-time 

Injury Rate 

3.9 

2.1 

2.7 

3.2 

2.3 

Operator Total 14,478 -- 223,078 230,860 18.2 3.2 

Coal Contractor -- 2,550 30,228 17,964 27.8 2.6 

Noncoal Contractor -- 4,143 42,511 22,198 36.0 1.7 

Contractor Total -- 6,693 72,739 40,162 32.4 2.1 

TOTAL 295,817 271,022 20.3 3.0 

Data may not add to totals due to independent rounding. Number of employees was rounded at the subunit level of each mine to be consistent with 

MSHA reporting. 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. Further statistical methodology is 

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

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

operations. Employment numbers were rounded at the subunit level of each mine to be consistent with MSHA reporting. 2

Full-time equivalent employees were computed using reported employee hours (2,000 hours = 1 FTE). 3

Mining sectors: coal operators, metal operators, nonmetal operators, stone operators, sand and gravel operators, coal contractors, and

 noncoal contractors. 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), 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. 6

Because of the complexity of attributing disease causation to the workplace, occupational illnesses may be underreported. 

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. 2007–170 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM