COAL OPERATOR 

MINING FACTS – 2004 

In 2004, a total of 2,011 coal mining operations 

reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA). Coal mines comprised 

13.9% of all mining operations. 

• Bituminous mines comprised 92.6% (n=1,863) 

and anthracite mines 7.4% (n=148) of coal 

mining operations. 

• Approximately 70% of all coal mines were located 

in three states: Kentucky (28.9%), Pennsylvania 

(20.7%), and West Virginia (20.5%). 

A total of 73,024 employees,

1

 corresponding to 

80,069 full-time equivalent (FTE)2

 employees, were 

reported by coal mine operators to MSHA. 

• Within the mining sectors,3 coal operators 

comprised 29.5% of all employee hours reported. 

• Underground work locations accounted for 

45.9% of employee hours, while surface work 

locations accounted for 54.1%.4 

0 

50 

100 

150 

200 

250 

Number of Employee Hours

(millions) 

Coal Operator 

Metal Operator 

Nonmetal Operator 

Stone Operator 

Sand & Gravel Operator 

Coal Contractor 

Noncoal Contractor 

1995	 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 

Twenty-three (23) occupational fatalities occurred 

among coal operator employees in 2004, compared 

to 22 in 2003. 

•	 Fatalities among coal operator employees 

accounted for 41.8% of all mining fatalities. 

•	 The coal operator fatality rate was 28.7 fatalities 

per 100,000 FTE employees. The underground 

fatality rate was 35.4 (n=13) compared to a rate 

of 23.1 (n=10) for surface work locations. 

45 

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 

Underground Surface 

UG Rate Surf Rate 

90 

40 80 

Number of Fatalities 35 70 

30 60 

25 50 

20 40 

15 30 

10 20 

5 10

0 0 

Fatality Rate

(per 100,000 Full-time Equivalent Employees) 

There were 3,132 nonfatal lost-time injuries 

(2,256 at underground and 876 at surface work locations) among coal operator employees occurring at a 

rate of 3.9 injuries per 100 FTE employees. These 

injuries resulted in 230,139 days lost5 from work, 

comprising nearly 50% of days lost across all mining 

sectors. 

•	 The underground nonfatal lost-time injury rate 

was greater than the surface injury rate (6.1 vs. 

2.0 per 100 FTE workers). 

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

involved handling materials (n=915; 29.2%). 

•	 Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=1,417; 45.2%). 

•	 The back was the most frequently reported part 

of the body injured (n=666; 21.3%) and 

accounted for 58,975 days lost from work. 

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries 

by Accident Class, 2000-2004 

32% 

12% 11% 6% 6% 

21% 

12% 

Handling materials 

Slip or fall of person 

Fall of ground 

Powered haulage 

Machinery 

Hand tools 

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, 232 cases of occupational illnesses were 

reported to MSHA by coal operators.6

 This compares to 323 cases in 2003. 

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

occupational illnesses (n=107; 46.1%). 

• There were 43 cases of hearing loss or impairment reported to MSHA (or 18.5% of all occupational illnesses reported). 

• Coal mining operations reported 39 cases 

(16.8%) of black lung (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis). This compares to 107 cases (33.1%) that 

were reported to MSHA in 2003. 

Mining Characteristics, 2004 

Commodity and 

Type of Employer 

No. of 

Mines 

No. of 

Companies 

No. of 

Employees 

No. of FTE 

Employees 

Fatality 

Rate 

Nonfatal 

Lost-time 

Injury Rate 

Coal Operator 2,011 -- 73,024 80,069 28.7 3.9 

Metal Operator 

Nonmetal Operator 

Stone Operator 

Sand and Gravel Operator 

251 

741 

4,401 

7,074 

--

--

--

--

25,205 

19,432 

68,417 

37,000 

26,091 

20,183 

71,153 

33,364 

7.7 

5.0 

11.2 

24.0 

2.1 

2.7 

3.2 

2.3 

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

Coal Contractor 

Noncoal Contractor 

--

--

2,550 

4,143 

30,228 

42,511 

17,964 

22,198 

27.8 

36.0 

2.6 

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), auger mining operations, culm banks 

(reworking of mine dumps or refuse pile), dredge (mining operations conducted from a platform floating on water), 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. 2007–167 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM