DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

September 2007 

MINING FACTS – 2004 

In 2004, 14,478 mining operations reported 

employment statistics to the Mine Safety and Health 

Administration (MSHA).1

 Almost half (48.9%) 

were sand and gravel mines, followed by stone 

mines (30.4%), coal mines (13.9%), nonmetal mines 

(5.1%), and metal mines (1.7%). 

There were 223,078 mine operator employees,

2

 or 

230,860 full-time equivalent (FTE)3

 workers 

reported. Employee hours for mine operators 

working at underground locations accounted for 

19.5%, while 80.5% of the employee hours were for 

surface work locations.4 

Of the 72,739 independent contractor employees 

(or 40,162 FTE workers) reported to MSHA in 2004, 

41.6% were coal contractor employees and 58.4% 

were noncoal contractor employees. 

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 

In 2004, there were 55 occupational mining 

fatalities, compared to 56 in 2003. The overall 

mining fatality rate was 20.3 per 100,000 FTE 

workers. 

•	 The fatality rate for mine operator employees 

was 18.2 per 100,000 FTE workers (n=42; 

76.4%), while the rate for contractor employees 

was higher at 32.4 (n=13; 23.6%). 

•	 Noncoal contractors had the highest fatality rate 

(36.0 per 100,000 FTE workers; n=8), followed 

by coal operators (rate=28.7; n=23) and coal 

contractors (rate=27.8; n=5). 

•	 The fatality rate at underground work locations 

was 33.2 per 100,000 FTE workers (n=16; 

29.1%) compared to the lower rate at surface 

locations of 17.5 (n=39; 70.9%). 

0 

10 

20 

30 

40 

50 

60 

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 

Number of Fatalities 

0 

15 

30 

45 

60 

75 

90 

Fatality Rate

(per 100,000 Full-time Equivalent Employees) 

Underground 

Surface 

UG Rate 

Surf Rate 

There were 8,139 nonfatal lost-time injuries 

reported to MSHA in 2004 (2,753 at underground 

and 5,386 at surface work locations). These injuries 

occurred at a rate of 3.0 per 100 FTE workers and 

resulted in a total of 463,339 days lost from work.5 

•	 The underground nonfatal lost-time injury rate 

was greater than the surface injury rate (5.7 vs. 

2.4 per 100 FTE workers). 

•	 The back continued to be the most frequently 

reported part of the body injured, accounting for 

1,699 nonfatal lost-time injuries, 110,462 days 

lost from work, and 23.8% of all days lost. 

•	 Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=3,590; 44.1%). 

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries 

by Accident Class, 2000-2004 

35% 

10% 9% 6% 6% 

24% 

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. 
In 2004, 426 cases of occupational illnesses were 

reported to MSHA.6 

 

•	 Joint, tendon, or muscle inflammation or irritation accounted for 46.0% (n=196) of reported 

occupational illnesses. 

• Mining operations reported 41 cases of black 

lung (coal workers’ pneumoconiosis) and 7 cases 

of silicosis. 

• There were 77 cases of hearing loss or impairment reported to MSHA (or 18.1% of all occupational illnesses reported). 

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 251 -- 25,205 26,091 7.7 2.1 

Nonmetal Operator 741 -- 19,432 20,183 5.0 2.7 

Stone Operator 4,401 -- 68,417 71,153 11.2 3.2 

Sand and Gravel Operator 7,074 -- 37,000 33,364 24.0 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. 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM 

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

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

2

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. 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 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), 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. 2007–166