An analysis of equipment-related fatal accidents in U.S. mining operations: 1995–2005

Despite significant reductions in mining fatalities, the number of these accidents remains high. Based on the number of fatalities per year, a persistent area of concern in mine safety continues to be equipment-related. The study was undertaken in order to more thoroughly characterize equipment-related mining fatalities and to perform an analysis of those that occurred over the last 11-years, from 1995 through 2005. Equipment-related fatalities obtained from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports are used in this study. Results show that the proportion of total mine fatalities attributable to the equipment ranged from 37% to 88% per year. Among the MSHA equipment subcategories, the greatest proportion of fatalities is related to haul trucks (22.3%), belt conveyors (9.3%), front-end loaders (8.5%), and miscellaneous equipment (36.6%). The relationship between number of equipment-related fatalities and mining experience of the workforce was also examined. Study shows that workers with less than five years of appropriate mining experience constitute 44% of all fatalities that occurred during the period of 1995–2005.