DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

August 2009

METAL OPERATOR

MINING FACTS – 2007

Mining Operations

In 2007, a total of 278 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 44.6% (n=124) of all 

metal mining operations. Other common types of 

metal mines were iron ore (n=36; 12.9%) and 

copper ore (n=35; 12.6%).

Nevada had the largest number of metal mines

(n=45; 16.2%), followed by Alaska (n=28; 10.1%).

Employees

A total of 36,000 employees,2corresponding to 

37,746 full-time equivalent (FTE)3employees, were 

reported by metal mine operators.

Within the mining sectors,4metal mine operator 

employees accounted for 11.2% of all employee 

hours reported to MSHA.

Metal operator employee hours were reported for 

both underground (14.4%) and surface (85.6%) 

work locations.5

0

50

100

150

200

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number of Employee Hours (millions) Coal Operator Metal Operator Nonmetal Operator Stone Operator Sand & Gravel Oper Coal Contractor Noncoal Contractor

Fatalities

Seven occupational fatalities occurred among metal

mine operator employees in 2007, compared to three 

fatalities in 2006.

The metal mine operator fatality rate was 21.1

fatalities per 100,000 FTE employees.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 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 798 nonfatal lost-time injuries (178 at 

underground and 620 at surface work locations) 

among metal operator employees occurring at an 

overall rate of 2.4 injuries per 100 FTE employees.

A total of 40,696 days lost from work6resulted from 

these injuries.

The underground nonfatal lost-time injury rate 

was greater than the surface injury rate (3.3 vs. 

2.2 per 100 FTE workers).

The most frequent classification of nonfatal losttime injuries for metal operator employees involved handling materials (n=249; 31.2%).

Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=410; 51.4%).

The back was the most frequently reported body 

part injured (n=122; 15.3%) and accounted for 

5,070 days lost from work.

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries by Accident Class, 2007 (N=798)

31.2%

10.7%

11.5%

27.4%

11.3%

7.9%

Handling materials

Slip or fall of person Machinery

Powered haulage

Hand tools

All other

Note: "Fall of ground" includes MSHA's Accident/Injury/Illness class for fall of face, rib, pillar, side, or highwall; fall of roof, 

back, or brow; and machinery cases when the source of injury was caving rock, coal, ore, or waste.

Sum of percentages may not equal 

100% due to independent rounding. 
To receive NIOSH documents or more information about

occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH at

1–800–CDC–INFO (1–800–232–4636)

TTY: 1–888–232–6348

e-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

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

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009–160

Commodity and 

Type of Employer Surface Total Surface Total Surface Total 

Coal Operator 631 1,399 2,030 37,829 46,242 84,071 42,238 51,027 93,265

Metal Operator 97 181 278 5,333 30,667 36,000 5,437 32,309 37,746

Nonmetal Operator 48 677 725 2,411 20,453 22,864 2,478 20,788 23,265

Stone Operator 113 4,526 4,639 1,845 80,873 82,718 2,063 81,191 83,254

Sand and Gravel Operator NA 7,199 7,199 NA 45,761 45,761 NA 38,340 38,340

Operator Total 889 13,982 14,871 47,418 223,996 271,414 52,216 223,655 275,871

Coal Contractor NA NA 2,999 5,160 33,705 38,865 3,071 19,670 22,741

Noncoal Contractor NA NA 5,400 3,039 64,805 67,844 1,935 36,216 38,151

Contractor Total NA NA 8,399 8,199 98,510 106,709 5,006 55,886 60,892

TOTAL 55,617 322,506 378,123 57,222 279,541 336,763

Number of Companies

Mine and Employment Characteristics, 2007

Underground Underground Underground

Number of Mining Operations1 Number of Employees2 Number of FTE Employees3

Commodity and 

Type of Employer

Coal Operator 18 42.6 10 21.1 28 31.2 2,120 5.0 822 1.7 2,942 3.3

Metal Operator 3 55.2 4 14.4 7 21.1 178 3.3 620 2.2 798 2.4

Nonmetal Operator 1 40.4 0 0.0 1 5.0 91 3.7 417 2.4 508 2.5

Stone Operator 0 0.0 8 11.4 8 11.1 36 1.7 1,844 2.6 1,880 2.6

Sand and Gravel Operator NA NA 5 15.0 5 15.0 NA NA 657 2.0 657 2.0

Operator Total 22 42.1 27 13.8 49 19.7 2,425 4.6 4,360 2.2 6,785 2.7

Coal Contractor 3 97.7 3 16.3 6 28.0 177 5.8 283 1.5 460 2.1

Noncoal Contractor 2 103.4 10 29.3 12 33.3 43 2.2 454 1.3 497 1.4

Contractor Total 5 99.9 13 24.8 18 31.3 220 4.4 737 1.4 957 1.7

TOTAL 27 47.2 40 16.1 67 21.9 2,645 4.6 5,097 2.0 7,742 2.5

NA Not applicable.

Mining Occupational Fatalities and Injuries, 2007

Total Underground Surface Total

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries (per 100 FTE employees)

Rate Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate 

Occupational Fatalities (per 100,000 FTE employees)

Underground Surface

 No. No. Rate No.

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]. Data in the above 

tables may not add to totals shown because of independent rounding. Caution should be used when interpreting rates based on a small 

number of events.

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

2Average number of employees working at individual mines during calendar quarters of active operations (includes office workers).

3

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

4Mining sectors include 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), 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.