DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

September 2008

METAL OPERATOR

MINING FACTS – 2006

Mining Operations

In 2006, a total of 280 metal mining operations 

reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA).1 Metal mines were the 

smallest mining commodity sector, comprising 1.9% 

of all mining operations.

Gold mines comprised 46.8% (n=131) of all 

metal mining operations. Other common types 

of metal mines were copper ore (n=34; 12.1%), 

and iron ore (n=33; 11.8%).

Nevada had the largest number of metal mines 

(n=53; 18.9%), followed by Alaska (n=31; 

11.1%).

Employees

A total of 32,874 employees,2corresponding to 

33,972 full-time equivalent (FTE)3employees, were 

reported by metal mine operators.

Within the mining sectors,4metal mine operator 

employees accounted for 10.3% of all employee 

hours reported to MSHA.

Metal operator employee hours were reported for 

both underground (13.5%) and surface (86.5%) 

work locations.5

0

50

100

150

200

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Number of Employee Hours (millions) Coal Operator Metal Operator Nonmetal Operator Stone Operator Sand & Gravel Oper Coal Contractor Noncoal Contractor

Note: Beginning with the 2006 Mining Fact Sheets, hours reported to MSHA for office 

employees are included in number of employee hours.

Fatalities

Three occupational fatalities occurred among metal

mine operator employees in 2006, compared to five

fatalities in 2005.

The metal mine operator fatality rate was 10.1

fatalities per 100,000 FTE employees.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Number of Fatalities

0

10

20

30

40

50

60 Fatality Rate (per 100,000 Full-time Equivalent Employees)

Underground Surface

UG Rate Surf Rate

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries

There were 665 nonfatal lost-time injuries (141 at 

underground and 524 at surface work locations) 

among metal operator employees occurring at a rate 

of 2.2 injuries per 100 FTE employees. A total of 

35,287 days lost6from work resulted from these 

injuries.

The underground nonfatal lost-time injury rate 

was greater than the surface injury rate (3.1 vs. 

2.1 per 100 FTE workers).

The most frequent classification of nonfatal losttime injuries for metal operator employees 

involved handling materials (n=221; 33.2%).

Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=350; 52.6%).

The back was the most frequently reported body 

part injured (n=119; 17.9%) and accounted for 

4,751 days lost from work.

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries by Accident Class, 2002-2006

36%

8% 8%

10%

27%

11%

Handling materials

Slip or fall of person Machinery

Hand tools

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.
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. 2008-160

Commodity and 

Type of Employer Surface Total Surface Total Surface Total 

Coal Operator 675 1,438 2,113 38,253 47,440 85,693 42,598 51,897 94,495

Metal Operator 92 188 280 4,539 28,335 32,874 4,575 29,397 33,972

Nonmetal Operator 46 695 741 2,374 20,677 23,051 2,415 20,806 23,221

Stone Operator 122 4,451 4,573 1,877 80,706 82,583 2,154 83,247 85,402

Sand and Gravel Operator NA 7,178 7,178 NA 46,069 46,069 NA 39,796 39,796

Operator Total 935 13,950 14,885 47,043 223,227 270,270 51,742 225,144 276,886

Coal Contractor NA NA 2,724 4,762 32,520 37,282 2,903 20,175 23,078

Noncoal Contractor NA NA 4,686 1,815 54,130 55,945 1,401 29,893 31,294

Contractor Total NA NA 7,410 6,577 86,650 93,227 4,304 50,068 54,372

TOTAL 53,620 309,877 363,497 56,046 275,212 331,258

Number of Mining Operations1 Number of Employees2 Number of FTE Employees3

Mine and Employment Characteristics, 2006

Number of Companies

Underground Underground Underground Commodity and 

Type of Employer

Coal Operator 36 84.5 6 12.4 42 46.2 2,218 5.2 803 1.7 3,021 3.3

Metal Operator 0 0.0 3 11.9 3 10.1 141 3.1 524 2.1 665 2.2

Nonmetal Operator 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 73 3.0 344 2.0 417 2.1

Stone Operator 0 0.0 10 13.8 10 13.4 43 2.0 2,038 2.8 2,081 2.8

Sand and Gravel Operator NA NA 6 17.2 6 17.2 NA NA 795 2.3 795 2.3

Operator Total 36 69.6 25 12.6 61 24.4 2,475 4.8 4,504 2.3 6,979 2.8

Coal Contractor 1 34.4 4 20.9 5 22.7 215 7.4 342 1.8 557 2.5

Noncoal Contractor 0 0.0 7 24.8 7 23.6 49 3.5 403 1.4 452 1.5

Contractor Total 1 23.2 11 23.2 12 23.2 264 6.1 745 1.6 1,009 2.0

TOTAL 37 66.0 36 14.6 73 24.2 2,739 4.9 5,249 2.1 7,988 2.6

Rate

Mining Occupational Fatalities and Injuries, 2006

Total Underground Surface Total

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries (per 100 FTE employees)

 No. Rate No. No. Rate Rate 

Occupational Fatalities (per 100,000 FTE employees)

Underground Surface

Rate Rate No. No. No.

NA Not applicable.

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

Notes: All analyses of accident data exclude office employees. Occupational fatalities exclude all cases under 17 years of age. Further 

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

1Mines at which only independent contractors were working did not show any employment and were not counted.

2Number of employees is the average number of employees working at individual mines during calendar quarters of active operations.

3

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

4Mining sectors: coal operators, metal operators, nonmetal operators, stone operators, sand and gravel operators, coal contractors, and

noncoal contractors.

5

Surface work locations include surface operations at underground mines, surface operations (strip or open pit), auger, culm banks, 

 dredge, other surface operations, independent shops and yards, and mills or preparation plants.

6

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.