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 – 2005

Mining Operations 

In 2005, a total of 263 m etal mining operations 

reported employment to the Mine S afety and Health 

Administration (MSHA). Metal m ines were the 

smallest mining commodity sector, comprising 1.8% 

of all mining operations. 

• Gold m ines com prised 46.0% (n=121) of all 

metal m ining operations. Other common types 

of m etal mines were iron ore (n=32; 12.2%), 

copper ore (n=31; 11.8%), and lead and/or zinc 

ore (n=16; 6.1%). 

• Nevada had the largest num ber of m etal m ines 

(n=52; 19.8%), followe d by Alaska (n=27; 

10.3%). 

Employees 

A total of 26,442 employees, 1 corresponding to 

27,773 full-time equivalent (FTE) 2 employees, were 

reported by metal mine operators.

• Within the m ining sectors, 3 metal mine operator 

employees accounted for 9.6% of all em ployee 

hours reported to MSHA. 

• Metal operator employee hours were reported for 

both underg round (15.1%) and surface (84.9%) 

work locations.4

0

50

100

150

200

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Number of Employee Hours

(millions)

Coal Operator Metal Operator Nonmetal Operator

Stone Operator Sand & Gravel Oper Coal Contractor

Noncoal Contractor

Fatalities 

Five occupational fatali ties occurred a mong m etal 

mine operator em ployees in 2005, com pared to two 

fatalities in 2004. 

• The m etal m ine operator fatality rate was 18.0 

fatalities per 100,000 FTE employees. 

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Number of Fatalities

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Fatality Rate

(per 100,000 Full-time Equivalent Employees)

Underground Surface

UG Rate Surf Rate

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries 

There were 678 nonfatal lost -time injuri es (154 at 

underground and 524 at surface work locations) 

among metal operator employees occurring at a rate 

of 2.4 injuries per 100 FTE e mployees. A total of 

25,843 days lost 5 f rom work resulted f rom these 

injuries. 

• The underground nonfatal lo st-time injury rate 

was greater than th e surf ace injury rate (3.7 vs. 

2.2 per 100 FTE workers). 

• The most frequent classification of nonfatal losttime injuries f or m etal opera tor em ployees 

involved handling materials (n=231; 34.1%). 

• Sprains and str ains we re the m ost f requently 

reported nature of injury (n=347; 51.2%). 

• The back was the most frequently reported body 

part injured (n=116; 17 .1%) and accounted for 

3,492 days lost from work. 

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries

by Accident Class, 2001-2005

8% 8%

6%

36%

27%

11% 3% Handling materials

Slip or fall of person

Machinery

Hand tools

Powered haulage

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.
Mining Characteristics, 2005 

Commodity and 

Type of Employer 

No. of 

Mines 

No. of 

Companies 

No. of 

Employees1

No. of FTE

Employees2

Fatality 

Rate 

Nonfatal 

Lost-time 

Injury Rate 

Coal Operator 2,063 -- 78,281 87,184 19.5 3.5 

Metal Operator 263 -- 26,442 27,773 18.0 2.4 

Nonmetal Operator 739 -- 19,678 20,014 20.0 2.5 

Stone Operator 4,490 -- 69,759 73,650 20.4 3.1 

Sand and Gravel Operator 7,111 -- 37,705 34,258 26.3 2.5 

Operator Total 14,666 -- 231,865 242,879 20.6 3.0 

Coal Contractor -- 2,503 32,639 20,136 24.8 2.7 

Noncoal Contractor -- 4,297 46,623 25,590 7.8 1.6 

Contractor Total -- 6,800 79,262 45,726 15.3 2.1 

TOTAL 311,127 288,605 19.8 2.9 

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. Analyses of fatalities exclude all 

individuals under 17 years of age and all individuals who were not classified as employees of a mining operator or mining contractor. 

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 

 ope rations. 

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 

 no ncoal 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), 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. 

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. 2008-151 

SAFER • HEALTHIER • PEOPLETM