Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) final statistics for 2014 indicate the US achieved a record low total injury rate. According to MSHA, 45 mining employees died on the job during 2014, with 16 fatalities in coal mining operations and 29 in metal/non-metal operations. The 2014 fatality rate for mining was .0144 deaths per 200,000 hours worked, while the total injury rate was a record low 2.44. Coal mining’s fatality rate was .0150 per 200,000 hours worked. The 2014 coal mining all- injury rate was 3.11.

The coal industry experienced a slightly lower level of citations and orders – dropping from 63,217 in 2013 to 62,684 in 2014. The metal and non-metal mining fatality rate was .0142 deaths per 200,000 hours worked and the injury rate was a record 2.09.

“The final data for 2014 help demonstrate U.S. mining’s commitment to continuous improvement in mining safety performance, and we have more to do,” said NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn. “NMA’s CORESafety initiative provides a vital approach to mining safety and health and is designed to prevent accidents before they occur, using a management system that involves leadership, management and assurance. Its objective is to have zero fatalities and a 50 percent reduction in mining’s injury rate within five years.”

The NMA reports that in a recent MSHA press release summarising safety progress for mid-year 2015, Joseph Main, Assistant Secretary of Labor for mine safety and health, noted that there were 18 recorded fatalities through the first six months of this year – five fewer than the same period in 2014. Ten fatalities happened at metal and non-metal mines, while eight occurred at coal mines.