One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research

The mining industry has seen a mix in terms of early adopters of technology and very late
adopters. This report has considered only the mining industry, so it is not possible to say here
whether mining has been any better or worse than other industries in embracing new methods to
improve worker safety and health. Historically, mining has been relatively early to work on
improvements in safety technology because the need has been so apparent. Few other industries
have had to face the complex and specialized problems of mining, including the dangers of roof
falls, difficult ventilation challenges, gas and dust explosions, and limited worker escape routes.
A century ago, mining was clearly the most dangerous industry in the United States. This fact
led Congress to establish the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1910 to address these problems.
Significant improvements in safety and health outcomes for miners often have resulted from
changes in laws or regulations that forced adoption of safer technology. Improved technology
also has been adopted voluntarily as the safety culture has evolved, and levels of injury and
illness that were considered acceptable in the past are no longer tolerated. Research products
have not necessarily been adopted quickly, particularly if they were perceived to add to the
economic costs of mining. However, new and safer mining technology developments have
eventually enabled the setting of better safety and health standards and adoption of a stronger
safety culture in mining.
Reviewing the history of mining over the past century shows that each generation of miners has
expected and demanded safer mining conditions than those that had been considered acceptable
in past decades. Much should continue to be done to encourage miners and mine management
toward a safety culture that looks for and expects continuous improvement in mining safety and
health. Such a safety culture in mining will lead to faster adoption of improvements in mining
technology.
There have been vast improvements in safety and health in the mining industry in the past 100
years. To demonstrate, Table 2 shows the numbers of fatalities in coal mines and Table 3 lists
the numbers for metal and nonmetal mines in the years since 1900 in the U.S. In 2008, U.S. coal
miners produced a new high of 1.17 billion tons of coal. There were 29 fatalities among the
miners who produced that coal in 2008, a three-year low in fatal coal mining accidents [Coal
Age 2009]. Changes in mining technology have led to great improvements in safety and health,
while allowing for increased productivity. The research done by the Bureau and NIOSH has
done much to enable the improvements that have been made in mining technology.
Unfortunately, there are still significant safety challenges remaining, as illustrated by the recent
mine disasters in 2006 and 2007. From a health standpoint, the increased incidence of CWP
found in coal miners in some areas of the country shows that health problems have not yet been
solved. To meet these challenges, the NIOSH mining program will continue in the tradition of
its predecessors to work with partners and stakeholders to conduct research, transfer it into
practice, and track the impact of its efforts. We will continue to strive to make mines as safe and
as healthy as any other workplace.
79