According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 2018 saw the second lowest number of mining fatalities on record.
According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), 27 workers died on the job last year.
Around 250,000 miners work across 12,000 metal/nonmetal mines in the United States, and 83,000 people work across 1,200 coal mines. Among the workplace fatalities, eighteen occurred at surface operations, and nine happened underground.
The leading cause of death (13 related) included powered haulage. MSHA is now working on improving safety conditions, particularly as it relates to mobile equipment and belt conveyors.
MSHA recently published a request for information, which asked the industry for ways to prevent accidents that involve mobile equipment at surface coal mines and metal and nonmetal mines and belt conveyors at surface and underground mines.
