Fatal Mining Accident Statistics: January 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018

If you mention "fatal mining accident" to anyone outside the mining industry, most will assume that you are referring to a coal mining accident. However, those inside the mining industry will know that in any given year there are just as many fatal accidents in mining operations that are notgeared toward coal production!

On this page, the mining accident injury lawyer at the Doan Law Firm provides a summary of data taken from the websites of various federal agencies such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

According to data published on the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) website, there were 92 fatal injury mining accidents during the 3½ year period beginning on January 1, 2015 and ending on June 30, 2018.

2018 Accident Statistics

In the first 6 months of 2018 there were 11 fatal mining accidents listed on the MSHA website.

• 6 of the 11 fatalities (54.5%) occurred during non-coal mining operations and 5 (45.5%) occurred during coal mining operations.
• Of the 6 non-coal mining deaths, 5 occurred in surface mines where "construction sand and gravel" were being mined and 1 death occurred during an "Ignition or Explosion of Gas or Dust" at a facility where lime was being processed. "Powered Haulage" was listed as the "accident type" in 3 of the 6 non-coal mining deaths, where "Powered Haulage" means any method of transporting mine output that is not dependent on human "muscle power." "Machinery" and "Electrical" (1 death each) were also given as "accident types."
• Of the 5 coal mining deaths, 4 occurred in underground mines and 1 occurred at a surface mine. All 5 deaths occurred while mining Bituminous coal. "Powered Haulage" was listed as the "accident type" in 3 of the 5 coal mining deaths.

2017 Accident Statistics

In calendar year 2017, there were 28 mining accident deaths (15 coal and 13 non-coal) recorded on the MHSA website.

• Coal mining deaths accounted for 53.6% of all mining accident fatalities while non-coal mining deaths accounted for 46.4% of all mining accident fatalities.
• Of the 15 coal mining deaths, 4 occurred at surface mines and all but 1 of the deaths involved the mining of Bituminous coal. "Powered Haulage" was listed as the "accident type" in 5 (33%) of the coal mining deaths.
• Of the 13 non-coal mining deaths, "Powered Haulage" was listed as the "accident type" in 6 of the 13 deaths.

2016 Accident Statistics

In calendar year 2016, there were 25 mining accident deaths (9 coal, 16 non-coal) recorded on the MSHA website.

• In 2016, coal mining deaths accounted for 36% of all mining accident fatalities while non-coal mining deaths accounted for 64% of all mining accident fatalities.
• Of the 9 coal mining deaths, all occurred in subsurface mining operations and all involved Bituminous coal.
• Of the 16 non-coal mining accident deaths,
• In all 25 mining accident deaths during 2016, "Powered Haulage" was the most frequently-cited "accident type" followed by partial or total collapse of underground mine structures.

2015 Accident Statistics

In calendar year 2015, there were 28 mining accident deaths (11 coal, 17 non-coal) recorded on the MSHA website.

• In 2015, coal mining deaths accounted for 39% of all mining accident fatalities while non-coal mining deaths accounted for 61% of all mining accident fatalities.
• As was the case with other years, "Powered Haulage" was the most frequently-cited "accident type" followed by partial or total collapse of underground mine structures.

Note that the numbers given in the above sections represent fatal injuries only. Accurate data on non-fatal mining accident injuries is difficult to obtain for a number of reasons, such as the lack of standard definitions regarding types of injuries or "overlapping" jurisdictions which causes some injuries to be listed more than once. However, it is probably safe to assume a ratio of "10 to 1 serious injury/fatality," meaning that for each reported fatality there were (on average) 10 serious injuries.

Also, this brief report should not be taken as "authoritative" in that its statistical analyses are incomplete and must be subjected to a greater degree of scrutiny before they can withstand even the most basic of mathematical challenges but they may be considered as "starting points" from which more complete studies can be constructed.