Age, Injuries, and Costs in the Mining Industry: A Case Study for U.S. Gold and Coal Mines

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burgess J ; Liu X ; Lutz E ; Regan T
• Description:
  In terms of fatalities, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the mining industry, as a whole, is the most dangerous industry sector in the U.S. As part of their regulatory scheme and reporting requirements, the Mine Safety and Health Administration makes available data on accidents and injuries in the mining industry. This study describes the gold and coal mining industries for the last two decades using this data. We used data from 1990 to 2010 to focus on the relationship between these types of incidents and age. We calculated an average annual injury rate of 5.65 percent for gold and 13.46 for coal. We found that young coal miners are more prone to injury. Using the Center for Disease Control's Webbased Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQRS), we calculate an average total economic cost of $7,000 (2010 US$) per injury and determine that nearly 85 percent of this amount stems from lost work thus highlighting the enormity and importance of accounting for indirect, in addition to direct, costs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Coal Coal Mining Economics Mining Mortality Occupational Health Occupational Injuries Safety
• Keywords:
  Age Factors Coal Mining Economic Impact Fatalities Gold Mines Miners Mine Safety Mining Industry Occupational Accidents
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Arizona ; Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054315
• Citation:
  2014 SME Annual Meeting & Exhibit (SME 2014): Leadership in Uncertain Times, February 23-26, 2014, Salt Lake City, Utah. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., 2014 Feb; :129
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Mining
• Performing Organization:
  University of Arizona, Tucson
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20100901
• Source Full Name:
  2014 SME Annual Meeting & Exhibit (SME 2014): Leadership in Uncertain Times, February 23-26, 2014, Salt Lake City, Utah
• End Date:
  20260831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8ef45046b146f83918d3b92596963df4221360ab5bc545b345cf571fede0e2505e987279904e8b31b70904239d4a76aaf956360ff1d52c538e46ba028df405f3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216906/cdc_216906_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 138.12 KB ]