DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

August 2009

SAND & GRAVEL OPERATOR

MINING FACTS – 2007

Mining Operations

In 2007, a total of 7,199 sand and gravel mining 

operations reported employment to the Mine Safety 

and Health Administration (MSHA).1

Sand and gravel mines were the largest mining 

sector, comprising 48.4% of all mining operations.

Sand and gravel mines were found throughout all 

50 states and Puerto Rico.

Employees

A total of 45,761 employees,2corresponding to 

38,340 full-time equivalent (FTE)3employees, were 

reported by sand and gravel mine operators.

Within the mining sectors,4sand and gravel mine 

operator employees accounted for 11.4% of all 

employee hours reported to MSHA.

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

Five work-related fatalities occurred among sand 

and gravel operator employees in 2007. This compared to six fatalities in 2006.

The sand and gravel mine operator fatality rate 

was 15.0 fatalities per 100,000 FTE employees.

Powered haulage was associated with 60% (n=3) 

of sand and gravel fatalities.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Number of Fatalities

0

6

12

18

24

30

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

Number Rate

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries

There were 657 nonfatal lost-time injuries among 

sand and gravel operator employees occurring at an 

overall rate of 2.0 injuries per 100 FTE employees.

A total of 30,440 days lost from work5resulted from 

these injuries.

The most frequent classifications of nonfatal

lost-time injuries for sand and gravel operator

employees involved handling materials (n=234; 

35.6%) and slip or fall of person (n=170; 

25.9%).

Sprains and strains were the most frequently 

reported nature of injury (n=241; 36.7%).

The back was the most frequently reported body 

part injured (n=124; 18.9%) followed by fingers 

(n=105; 16.0%). Back injuries represented 

10,808 days lost from work; finger injuries 

represented 2,880 days lost.

Distribution of Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries by Accident Class, 2007 (N=657)

35.6% 10.5%

13.4%

25.9%

7.0%

7.6%

Handling materials

Slip or fall of person

Hand tools

Powered haulage Machinery

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. 2009–163

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

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.