Table 4. Nonfatal occupational injury and iliness rates per 100 full-time workers,’ mining division, 1995—Continued

Annual average Lost workday cases
‘State and industry SIC Code? employment Total cases
With days away
( ) TotaP from work*
155.9 48 3.3 26
13 147.7 49 3.3 26
81 81 44 36
11.4 77 5.9 5.3
12 78 94 7.3 67
‘Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels 14 3.2 51 32 28
Washington
Mining 33 54 28 24

‘incidence rates represent the number of injuries and ill-
nesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/
EH) X 200,000, where N=number of injuries and ilinesses;
EH=total hours worked by all employees during the calendar
year; 200,000=base for 100 equivalent full-time workers (work-
ing 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year).

? Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 edition.

* Total includes cases involving restricted work activity onty
in addition to days-away-from-work cases with or without re-
stricted work activity.

“Days away from work cases include those that result in
days away from work with or without restricted work activity.

Nonfatal occupational injury and illness rates, selected mining industries, 1995

Dimension stone

Gl Total cases

(7) Cases with days
away from work

Non-metallic minerais, except fuels
Oil and gas field services

Crude petroleum and natural gas
Oil and gas extraction

Anthracite mining
Bituminous coal and lignite mining

Coal mining
Metal mining
Mining

Private industry

se i J i il

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Cases per 100 full-time workers

61 Compensation and Working Conditions Winter 1997


Table 4, Nonfatal occupational Injury and iliness rates per 100 full-time workers,‘ mining division, 1995

‘Annual average ‘Lost workday cases
‘State and Industry SIC Code? employment Total cases
(thousands) Totap | WE days away
10.9 114 89 86
98 44 Ww 14
13 87 44 13 os
292 53 31 20
13 215 49 27 14
07 68 32 25
69 32 17 11
14 63 34 1.8 12
77 31 18 1
64 59 36 29
8.0 87 45 44
13 67 84 45 42
25.1 94 7.0 68
12 213 97 75 75
4 26 5.4 35 32
46.3 43 34 27
13 444 43 34 28
1.3 34 14 12
84 69 36 3.0
78 6.0 3.0 19
10 69 64 34 19
63 59 37 29
10 24 68 46 3.0
12 10 34 22 15
13 1.4 - 40 40
4 07 69 29 23
13.2 52 3.1 15
10 18 5.0 29 12
4 13 7.0 43 35
20 55 37 34
16.0 63 34 24
13 10.1 78 35 25
4 2.0 47 32 26
48 5.0 32 28
Mining..... 32.1 54 29 27
Oil and gas extraction 13 30.0 51 28 27
Rhode Island
Mining 02 26 26 26
Mining ... 46 54 32 29

‘Compensation and Working Conditions Winter 1997

60



Safety and Health

Workplace Injuries
and Illnesses in the

Extractive Industries

BY DAVID MCDERMOTT.

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas development—the
extractive industries—are commonly thought of as danger-
ous places to work. While parts of the industry division
may be hazardous, the overall nonfatal injury and illness
rate (6.2 nonfatal injuries and illnesses for every 100 full-
time workers ) is lower than the average for all industries
(8.1 cases per 100 full-time workers). (See table 1.) In fact,
the incidence rate for mining is lower than for industrial
sectors such as construction and manufacturing, and is com-
parable to that for services.

Injuries and illnesses in mining are more severe than in
other industries and fatal mining injuries occur at relatively
high rates. In 1995, 156 mining workers were killed. (See
table 2.) The number of fatal accidents per 1,000 employ-
ees is the highest of all industry divisions, and over four
times the national average. In addition, nonfatal injuries in
mining tend to be more severe than those in the private
sector overall. While only 31 percent of injuries and ill-
nesses in the private sector are severe enough to result in
days away from work, over 50 percent of the mining inju-
ries and illnesses result in days away from work. The me-
dian number of days missed is 12 for injured or ill mining
workers, over twice the average for all industries. More
than a third of these injuries and illnesses are severe enough
to result in more than 31 days away from work.

Injuries and illnesses by industry

Within the mining division, the coal mining industries
have the highest rate of nonfatal injuries, 9.1 per 100 full-
time workers. (See table 3 and chart.) The anthracite coal
industry, which is concentrated in Northeastern Pennsylva-
nia, experienced 13.7 injuries or illnesses per 100 full-time
workers, placing it among the 15 industries with the high-
est incidence rates. Oil and gas extraction experienced a

‘David McDermott is an economist in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Kan-
sas City Regional Office. Telephone (816) 426-3176.

57 Compensation and Working Conditions Winter 1997

much lower incidence rate, 5.9 per 100 full-time workers,
although the injury and illness rate varied dramatically by
activity within the industry. The crude petroleum and natu-
ral gas industry, which includes research and administra-
tive activities, experienced 2.4 injuries or illnesses per 100
full-time workers. The oil and gas field services industry,
drilling and maintaining wells, had an injury and illness
rate more than three times higher than the former.

Metals mining and quarrying experienced injury and ill-
ness rates of over 5 per 100 full-time workers. Both major
groups are involved principally in digging material out of
open pits, so the perils associated with underground min-
ing are largely absent. The dimension stone industry, which
involves quarrying large blocks of stone, had an injury and
illness rate of 9.1. This is substantially higher than the rate
in industries involved in quarrying sand, gravel, clay and
other more tractable commodities.

Injuries and illnesses by State

Rates of injury and illness in the mining industries vary
by State. Among the 25 States reporting data for the min-
ing division,’ Alabama and Kentucky had the highest rates
of injuries and illnesses. (See table 4.) Both States are heavily
involved in coal mining, the most dangerous mining in-
dustry. In addition, they have substantial employment in
underground coal mining, with the associated dangers of
methane gas, roof collapse, and the perils of working with
heavy machinery in a confined space.

Kansas and Utah also experienced relatively high injury
and illness rates. Kansas had 8.7 cases per 100 full-time
workers. Of the 8,000 workers in Kansas’ mining indus-
tries, 6,700 were employed in oil and gas extraction, an
industry that experienced 8.4 injuries and illnesses per 100
full-time workers. A large portion of the remaining work-
ers in Kansas’ mining industry was involved in the hazard-
ous dimension stone industry. Utah experienced 8.1 cases
per 100 full-time workers, with miners concentrated heavily


in underground coal mines.

States reporting the lowest rates of injury and illnesses
were those whose workers were concentrated in surface
mining. Among States with at least 5,000 workers in min-

ing, Georgia and Florida, both with employees concentrat-
ing in surface mining of nonmetallic minerals, had the low-
est rates of injury and illness. Georgia reported 3.1 cases
per 100 full-time workers, and Florida reported 3.2.

—ENDNOTES—

' Notall States participate in the Revised Occupational Safety and Health
program, and some States that do participate do not publish data for the min-
ing division, In 1995, mining division data were published for Alabama,
Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,

Table 1. Nonfatat occupational injury and iliness rates per 100 full-time workers! by industry division, 1995

Lost cases
; 2 ‘workday Median days
Industrial sector Total cases With days ayay] 22 from
Total” trom woe work

Private industry 81 36 25 5
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing . 97 43 34 5
Mining 62 39 33 12
106 49 42 7
116 53 29 5
91 52 39 7
75 36 26 5
75 3.0 23 5
26 10 08 5
64 28 20 5

‘ Incidence rates represent the number of injuries and
illnesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as:
(N/EH) X 200,000, where N=number of injuries and ilinesses;
EH=total hours worked by all employees during the calen-
dar year, 200,000=base for 100 equivalent full-time work-
ers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year).

? Total includes cases involving restricted work activity
only in addition to days-away-from-work cases with or with-
out restricted work activity.

? Days away from work cases include those that result
in days away from work with or without restricted work ac-
tivity.

‘Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining opera-
tors in coal, metal and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS
by the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Independent
mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and
nonmetal mining industries.

" Compensation and Working Conditions Winter 1997 58


Table 2. Fatal occupational injuries and employment by industry, mining division, 1995

Fatalities Employment
Industr ‘SIC code'
sd Number Percent Number Percent
{in thousands)
Total ..... 6210 100 126,248 100
Private industry .. 5,438 88 106,522 84
Mining ... 156 3 625, 1
Coal mining 12 43 1 114 (a)
Oil and gas extraction 13 7 1 336 o)

‘ Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 edition.
? Less than 0.05 percent.

Table 3. Nonfatal occupational injury and iliness rates per 100 full-time workers,‘ mining division, 1995

Lost workday cases
Industry Code? Total cases
sic Total? With days. away
from work"
81 36 25
62 39 33
10 52 28 19
101 68 35 25
102 36 18 1.6
103 52 25 24
Gold and silver ores .. 104 55 32 V7
Ferroalloy ores, except 106 59 33 19
Miscellaneous metal ores..... 109 67 45 34
Coal mining 12 91 67 63
Bituminous coal and dfgnite mining 122 9.0 67 63
Anthracite mining ... 123 13.7 10.4 95
Oil and gas extraction 13 59 34 28
. 131 24 1.0 8
Oil and gas field services..... 138 89 45
Nonmetaitic minerals, except fuels 4 54 32 25
Dimension stone 141 9.4 5.6 52
‘Crushed and broken: ‘stone... 142 58 34 25
‘Sand and gravel .... 144 49 34 27
Clay, ceramic and refractory minerals 145 48 29 22
Chemical and fertilizer minerals .. 147 36 22 15
Miscellaneous nonmetallic minerals 149 66 37 34
‘ incidence rates represent the number of injuries and ill- stricted work activity.
nesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/ “Days away from work cases include those that result in

EH) X 200,000, where N=number of injuries and ilinesses; days away from work with or without restricted work activ-

EH=total hours worked by all employees during the calendar ity.

year; 200,000=base for 100 equivalent full-time workers (work- 5 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators

ing 40 hours per week, SO weeks per year). in coal, the Mine Safety and Health Administration provide metal
? Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 edition. and nonmetal mining to BLS. Independent mining contractors
Total includes cases involving restricted work activity only are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal mining indus-

in addition to days-away-from-work cases with or without re- tries.

59 Compensation and Working Conditions Winter 1997