DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

September 2008

MINING FACTS – 2006

Mining Operations

In 2006, 14,885 mining operations reported 

employment data to the Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA).1 Almost half (48.2%) 

were sand and gravel mines, followed by stone 

mines (30.7%), coal mines (14.2%), nonmetal mines 

(5.0%), and metal mines (1.9%).

Employees

There were 270,270 mine operator employees,

2

or 

276,886 full-time equivalent (FTE)3 workers. For 

mine operators, 18.7% of the employee hours were 

for underground work locations, while 81.3% of the

employee hours were for surface work locations.

4

Of the 93,227 independent contractor employees (or 

54,372 FTE workers), 40.0% were coal contractor 

employees and 60.0% were noncoal contractor 

employees. 

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

In 2006, there were 73 occupational mining 

fatalities, compared to 57 in 2005. The overall 

fatality rate was 24.2 per 100,000 FTE workers.

The fatality rate for mine operator employees 

was 24.4 per 100,000 FTE workers (n=61; 

83.6%), while the rate for contractor employees 

was 23.2 (n=12; 16.4%).

Coal operators had the highest fatality rate 

(46.2), followed by noncoal contractors (23.6),

coal contractors (22.7), and sand and gravel 

operators (17.2) per 100,000 FTE workers.

The fatality rate at underground work locations

was 66.0 per 100,000 FTE workers (n=37; 

50.7%) compared to the lower rate at surface 

locations of 14.6 (n=36; 49.3%).

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Number of Fatalities

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

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

Underground Surface UG Rate Surf Rate

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries

There were 7,988 nonfatal lost-time injuries reported 

to MSHA in 2006 (2,739 at underground and 5,249

at surface work locations). These injuries occurred 

at a rate of 2.6 per 100 FTE workers and resulted in 

a total of 439,742 days lost from work.5

The underground nonfatal lost-time injury rate 

was greater than the surface injury rate (4.9 vs. 

2.1 per 100 FTE workers). 

The back continued to be the most frequently 

reported body part injured, accounting for 1,484

nonfatal lost-time injuries, 83,719 days lost from 

work, and 19.0% of all days lost. 

Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=3,435; 43.0%).

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries

by Accident Class, 2002-2006

35%

10% 9% 5% 6%

25%

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.
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. 2008-158

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

Mining Occupational Fatalities and Injuries, 2006

Total Underground Surface Total

Occupational Fatalities (per 100,000 FTE employees) Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries (per 100 FTE employees)

Underground Surface

 No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate No. Rate 

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).

4

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.

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.