Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC twenty four seven. Saving Lives, Protecting People
Search
            ×
                        Mining
                        Mining
                            NIOSH
                            All CDC
                    Submit
                For a full list of topics:A-Z Index
                Advanced Search
            Advanced Search


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)





Nonmetal Operator Mining Facts - 2008 (HTML)
Keywords: Fatality rates Injury rates Non-fatal days lost rates
This page is archived for historical purposes and is no longer being maintained or updated.
On This Page
Mining Operations
Employees
Fatalities
Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries
Mining operations, 2008
Contracting companies, 2008
Employment characteristics, 2008
Mining Occupational Fatalities (per 100,000 FTE employees), 2008
Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries (per 100 FTE employees), 2008
DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2011–165

Mining Operations
In 2008, a total of 720 nonmetal mining operations reported employment to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). [1]  Nonmetal mines comprised 4.8% of all mining operations.
Mines producing clay (including common, ceramic & refractory, fire and not elsewhere classified) comprised 41.0% (n=295) of all nonmetal mining operations.
Nonmetal mining operations were located in all states and territories except Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Employees
A total of 23,033 employees [2] corresponding to 23,260 full-time equivalent (FTE) [3] employees, were reported to MSHA by nonmetal mine operators.
Within the mining sectors, [4] nonmetal mine operator employees accounted for 6.8% of all employee hours reported.
Employee hours were reported at underground (11.7%) and surface (88.3%) work locations. [5]
Click on the image to enlarge.
Data for the previous chart showing the number of employee hours (in millions) by commodity and year
Commodity and Type
of Employer
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008Coal Operator
170.3
157.3
168.4
163.8
157.1
166.5
181.3
189.0
186.5
200.4Metal Operator
83.4
77.4
68.8
58.5
55.5
59.5
63.4
67.9
75.5
81.4Nonmetal Operator
54.7
53.1
50.6
47.5
46.9
46.9
46.2
46.4
46.5
46.5Stone Operator
167.8
168.5
166.1
161.7
160.0
163.5
168.6
170.8
166.5
153.5Sand and Gravel Operator
78.9
78.1
77.0
75.3
74.8
76.6
78.4
79.6
76.7
66.7Coal Contractor
35.4
36.2
40.3
36.5
35.0
38.5
43.0
46.2
45.5
52.6Noncoal Contractor
47.8
54.2
49.8
39.2
39.9
46.8
54.1
62.6
76.3
80.2

Fatalities
There were two occupational fatalities among nonmetal mine operators in 2008.

Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries
There were 507 nonfatal lost-time injuries (95 at underground and 412 at surface work locations) among nonmetal mine operator employees occurring at an overall rate of 2.5 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.3, 2.8] injuries per 100 FTE employees.  A total of 23,708 days lost from work [6] resulted from these injuries.
The underground nonfatal lost-time injury rate was greater than the surface injury rate (3.5 [CI: 2.8, 4.3] vs. 2.4 [CI: 2.2, 2.6] per 100 FTE workers).
In 2008, the most frequent classification of nonfatal lost-time injuries involved handling materials (n=187; 36.9%), followed by slip or fall of person (n=148; 29.2%).
Sprains and strains were the most frequently reported nature of injury (n=230; 45.4%), followed by fracture or chip (n=79; 15.6%).
The back was the most frequently reported body part injured (n=89; 17.6%) and accounted for 3,057 days lost from work. This is followed by fingers (n=70; 13.8%) and accounted for 2,286 days lost from work.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Data for the previous chart showing the distribution of nonfatal lost-time injuries by accident class among nonmetal operator employees in 2008
Accident Class
PercentHandling materials
36.9Slip or fall of person
29.2Hand tools
8.5Powered haulage
8.5Machinery
8.3All other
8.7

Mining operations, 2008
Commodity and Type of Employer
Underground Mining Operations [1]
Surface Mining Operations [1]
Total Mining Operations [1]Coal
665
1,464
2,129Metal
105
188
293Nonmetal
44
676
720Stone
111
4,522
4,633Sand & Gravel
Not applicable
7,132
7,132Total
925
13,982
14,907



Contracting companies, 2008
Commodity and Type of Employer
Number of CompaniesCoal
3,467Noncoal
6,128Total
9,595

Employment characteristics, 2008
Commodity and Type of Employer
Underground Employees [2]
Surface Employees [2]
Total Employees
[2]
Underground FTE Employees [3]
Surface FTE Employees [3]
Total FTE Employees [3]Coal Operator
40,370
49,685
90,055
45,866
54,312
100,178Metal Operator
5,844
33,282
39,126
5,842
34,840
40,682Nonmetal Operator
2,579
20,454
23,033
2,725
20,534
23,260Stone Operator
1,875
77,100
78,975
2,029
74,720
76,749Sand & Gravel Operator
Not applicable
42,307
42,307
Not applicable
33,343
33,343Operator Total
50,668
222,828
273,496
56,462
217,750
274,212Coal Contractor
6,262
37,510
43,772
4,105
22,216
26,321Noncoal Contractor
2,992
72,459
75,451
1,998
38,088
40,086Contractor Total
9,254
109,969
119,223
6,103
60,304
66,407Total
59,922
332,797
392,719
62,565
278,054
340,620



Mining Occupational Fatalities (per 100,000 FTE employees), 2008
Commodity and Type of Employer
Underground Fatalities
Underground Fatality Rate
Surface Fatalities
Surface Fatality Rate
Fatalities
Fatality RateCoal Operator
12
26.2
6
11.9
18
18.7Metal Operator
3
Not calculated
2
Not calculated
5
13.8Nonmetal Operator
1
Not calculated
1
Not calculated
2
Not calculatedStone Operator
1
Not calculated
6
9.4
7
10.6Sand & Gravel Operator
Not applicable
Not applicable
3
Not calculated
3
Not calculatedOperator Total
17
30.1
18
9.4
35
14.2Coal Contractor
3
Not calculated
9
43.4
12
48.3Noncoal Contractor
0
Not calculated
5
13.9
5
13.2Contractor Total
3
Not calculated
14
24.7
17
27.1Total
20
32.0
32
12.9
52
16.8



Nonfatal Lost-time Injuries (per 100 FTE employees), 2008
Commodity and Type of Employer
Underground Injuries
Underground Injury Rate
Surface Injuries
Surface Injury Rate
Injuries
Injury RateCoal Operator
2,103
4.6
768
1.5
2,871
3.0Metal Operator
163
2.8
649
2.1
812
2.2Nonmetal Operator
95
3.5
412
2.4
507
2.5Stone Operator
33
1.6
1,593
2.5
1,626
2.5Sand & Gravel Operator
Not applicable
Not applicable
550
1.9
550
1.9Operator Total
2,394
4.2
3,972
2.1
6,366
2.6Coal Contractor
168
4.1
313
1.5
481
1.9Noncoal Contractor
38
1.9
463
1.3
501
1.3Contractor Total
206
3.4
776
1.4
982
1.6Total
2,600
4.2
4,748
1.9
7,348
2.4Not calculated when N is less than 5.    95% CI for rates reported above.    Totals may not sum due to independent rounding.
Data source: Publicly released employment and accident/injury/illness data 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. Caution should be used when interpreting rates based on a small number of events.
Mines at which only independent contractors were working did not show any employment and were not counted.
Average number of employees working at individual mines during calendar quarters of active operations (includes office workers).
Full-time equivalent employees computed using reported employee hours (2,000 hours = 1 FTE).
Mining sectors includes coal operators, metal operators, nonmetal operators, stone operators, sand and gravel operators, coal contractors, and noncoal contractors.
Surface work locations include surface operations at underground mines, surface operations (strip or open pit), dredge, other surface operations, independent shops and yards, and mills or preparation plants.
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 more information about occupational safety and health topics, contact NIOSH at **1-800-CDC-INFO** (1-800-232-4636), TTY: 1-888-232-6348, or visit NIOSH's Ask an Occupational Safety and Health Question page.

See Also
Coal and metal/nonmetal mining facts - 2008
Coal and Metal/Nonmetal Mining Facts - 2008 (HTML)
Coal Contractor Mining Facts - 2001
Coal Contractor Mining Facts - 2002
Coal Contractor Mining Facts - 2003
Coal Contractor Mining Facts - 2004
Coal Contractor Mining Facts - 2005
Coal Contractor Mining Facts - 2006
Mining Fact Sheets
Rib Falls: A Major Ground Control Issue
Page last reviewed: April 6, 2022
Page last updated: April 6, 2022
Content source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mining Program
Facebook
        Twitter
        LinkedIn
        Syndicate Mining
        Site BrowserSafety and Health TopicsData & StatisticsMethodologyMine DisastersMSHA Data FilesMine & Mineworker ChartsTools & PublicationsTools You Can UsePublicationsNews & ArticlesResearch ProgramNORA Mining CouncilStrategic PlanMining Program, 2019-2023Miner Health Program, 2020-2030ProjectsContractsFunding OpportunitiesMining LinksAbout UsContact NIOSH MiningEmploymentFacilitiesHistoryVisitor Information NIOSH Homepage
 NIOSH A-Z
Workplace Safety & Health Topics
Publications and Products
Programs


About CDC
					Contact Us
					800-232-4636
 Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Youtube Pinterest Snapchat
 CONTACT CDC
				Contact Us
							Call 800-232-4636
							Email Us
			ABOUT CDC
				About CDC
							Jobs
							Funding
			POLICIES
				Accessibility
							External Links
							Privacy
							Policies
							No Fear Act
							FOIA
							OIG
							Nondiscrimination
							Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			CONNECT WITH US
				Facebook
								Twitter
								Instagram
								LinkedIn
							Youtube
								Pinterest
								Snapchat
								Email
			LANGUAGES
				Español
							繁體中文
							Tiếng Việt
							한국어
							Tagalog
							Русский
							العربية
							Kreyòl Ayisyen
							Français
							Polski
							Português
							Italiano
							Deutsch
							日本語
							فارسی
							English


U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
			Accessibility
			External Links
			Privacy
			Policies
			No Fear Act
			FOIA
			Nondiscrimination
			OIG
			Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
			USA.gov


Exit Notification / Disclaimer Policy Close
 Links with this icon  indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
				Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
				You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
				CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Website Disclaimers
 Cancel Continue