4
To estimate the number of employees a mine could hire
for one year if the injury was prevented, the total cost of the
injury was divided by the product of total employee com-
pensation and the average hours worked per year. Hourly
wage data was retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics, National
Industry Specific Occupational Employment and Wage
Estimates, which is calculated each May (BLS, 2023a).
The default hourly wages were calculated from the five-year
(2018 to 2022) average hourly wages for mining (based on
NAICS coding) and are shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Average hourly wages from 2018 to 2022 for each
mining commodity.
Commodity Default Hourly Wage
All Mining (except oil and gas) $27
Coal $32
Metal $33
Nonmetal $25
Stone $25
Sand &Gravel $25
Employee compensation includes both the wage
amount and any additional benefits a company provides
to its workers. Employee benefits might include Social
Security, insurance, retirement benefits, paid leave, and
overtime pay. The average benefit amount for mining
industries (calculated using 2018 to 2022 data) was one-
third of the total compensation figure. Therefore, total
compensation is equal to hourly wage plus another 50 per-
cent of the wage value in employer-paid benefits. This data
was retrieved from the BLS National Compensation Survey
(BLS, 2023c). Data on the average weekly hours worked
was retrieved from the BLS Current Employment Statistics
program (BLS, 2023b). The average hours worked per
week for the mining industry (for the years 2018 to 2022,
excluding oil and gas) was 45.2 hours per week. Assuming
50 working weeks per year, the average employee worked
2,260 (45.2x50) hours per year.
To calculate how many employees a company could
enter in a hearing loss prevention program for one-year,
total injury cost is divided by the yearly cost of a hearing
loss prevention program. The default $300-per-person
annual estimate for a hearing loss prevention program is
based on recent hearing conservation program publica-
tions (Rabinowitz et al., 2018 Sayler et al., 2018). To
calculate how many employees could be provided with
MSHA-suitable safety boots, the total cost of the injury
is divided by the cost of a pair of MSHA-suitable safety
boots. The default price of $175 for MSHA-suitable safety
boots was averaged by NIOSH, using 2023 prices from
numerous occupational safety and health equipment sup-
pliers. To calculate how many employees could be provided
with MSHA-suitable hard hats, the total cost of the injury
is divided by the cost of an MSHA-suitable hard hat. The
default price of $60 for MSHA-suitable hard hats was aver-
aged by NIOSH, using 2023 prices from numerous occu-
pational safety and health equipment suppliers.
RESULTS
The Results section focuses on the most common injuries
for all mining commodities.
Common Injuries and Work Activities for 2022
Table 3 shows the most common mining activities per-
formed when an injury occurred in 2022 for all mining
commodities. In 2022, for all mining commodities, han-
dling supplies or materials was the most common activ-
ity when an injury occurred, with 1,196 cases, making up
24% of mine worker activities performed when an injury
occurred. Machine maintenance and repair was the sec-
ond most common activity, occurring in 16% of all injury
cases, followed by walking and running (11%), operating
equipment (10%), and non-powered hand tools (10%).
Table 1. Mining commodities and their associated default
annual average 2017 sales values.
Commodity Default Average Annual Sales
All Mines
(except oil and gas)
$14,980,000
Coal $42,610,000
Metal $101,010,000
Nonmetal $26,700,000
Stone $6,150,000
Sand &Gravel $4,770,000
Table 3. The most common mine worker activities
performed when injuries occurred in 2022, for all mining
commodities.
Mine Worker Activity
Percentage of All
Injuries Count
Handling material 24% 1,196
Machine maintenance/repair 16% 820
Walking/running 11% 558
Operating equipment 10% 521
Hand tools (not powered) 10% 507
Get on or off equipment,
machines, etc.
7% 349
Roof bolting 5% 253
Inspecting 3% 130
To estimate the number of employees a mine could hire
for one year if the injury was prevented, the total cost of the
injury was divided by the product of total employee com-
pensation and the average hours worked per year. Hourly
wage data was retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics, National
Industry Specific Occupational Employment and Wage
Estimates, which is calculated each May (BLS, 2023a).
The default hourly wages were calculated from the five-year
(2018 to 2022) average hourly wages for mining (based on
NAICS coding) and are shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Average hourly wages from 2018 to 2022 for each
mining commodity.
Commodity Default Hourly Wage
All Mining (except oil and gas) $27
Coal $32
Metal $33
Nonmetal $25
Stone $25
Sand &Gravel $25
Employee compensation includes both the wage
amount and any additional benefits a company provides
to its workers. Employee benefits might include Social
Security, insurance, retirement benefits, paid leave, and
overtime pay. The average benefit amount for mining
industries (calculated using 2018 to 2022 data) was one-
third of the total compensation figure. Therefore, total
compensation is equal to hourly wage plus another 50 per-
cent of the wage value in employer-paid benefits. This data
was retrieved from the BLS National Compensation Survey
(BLS, 2023c). Data on the average weekly hours worked
was retrieved from the BLS Current Employment Statistics
program (BLS, 2023b). The average hours worked per
week for the mining industry (for the years 2018 to 2022,
excluding oil and gas) was 45.2 hours per week. Assuming
50 working weeks per year, the average employee worked
2,260 (45.2x50) hours per year.
To calculate how many employees a company could
enter in a hearing loss prevention program for one-year,
total injury cost is divided by the yearly cost of a hearing
loss prevention program. The default $300-per-person
annual estimate for a hearing loss prevention program is
based on recent hearing conservation program publica-
tions (Rabinowitz et al., 2018 Sayler et al., 2018). To
calculate how many employees could be provided with
MSHA-suitable safety boots, the total cost of the injury
is divided by the cost of a pair of MSHA-suitable safety
boots. The default price of $175 for MSHA-suitable safety
boots was averaged by NIOSH, using 2023 prices from
numerous occupational safety and health equipment sup-
pliers. To calculate how many employees could be provided
with MSHA-suitable hard hats, the total cost of the injury
is divided by the cost of an MSHA-suitable hard hat. The
default price of $60 for MSHA-suitable hard hats was aver-
aged by NIOSH, using 2023 prices from numerous occu-
pational safety and health equipment suppliers.
RESULTS
The Results section focuses on the most common injuries
for all mining commodities.
Common Injuries and Work Activities for 2022
Table 3 shows the most common mining activities per-
formed when an injury occurred in 2022 for all mining
commodities. In 2022, for all mining commodities, han-
dling supplies or materials was the most common activ-
ity when an injury occurred, with 1,196 cases, making up
24% of mine worker activities performed when an injury
occurred. Machine maintenance and repair was the sec-
ond most common activity, occurring in 16% of all injury
cases, followed by walking and running (11%), operating
equipment (10%), and non-powered hand tools (10%).
Table 1. Mining commodities and their associated default
annual average 2017 sales values.
Commodity Default Average Annual Sales
All Mines
(except oil and gas)
$14,980,000
Coal $42,610,000
Metal $101,010,000
Nonmetal $26,700,000
Stone $6,150,000
Sand &Gravel $4,770,000
Table 3. The most common mine worker activities
performed when injuries occurred in 2022, for all mining
commodities.
Mine Worker Activity
Percentage of All
Injuries Count
Handling material 24% 1,196
Machine maintenance/repair 16% 820
Walking/running 11% 558
Operating equipment 10% 521
Hand tools (not powered) 10% 507
Get on or off equipment,
machines, etc.
7% 349
Roof bolting 5% 253
Inspecting 3% 130