Sunday, January 03, 2010
Since 2006-2007, when several high-profile accidents captured national attention, mining-related deaths have dropped in each of the last two years, down to the lowest levels ever recorded. Thirty-four miners died on the job last year, and 52 in 2008, both of which were the lowest totals since the government began keeping records of mining fatalities in the early 20th century.
According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, deaths in coal mines dropped from 29 in 2008 to 18 in 2009. Gold, copper and other mines caused 16 fatalities last year, compared to 22 in 2008. Kentucky led the nation in mining deaths in 2009 with six, followed by West Virginia and Alabama, each with three.
In 2006, 73 miners were killed, including 12 at the Sago Mine in West Virginia and five in an explosion at the Darby Mine in Kentucky. The following year, 67 miners died, including six at the Crandall Canyon mine in Utah.
By comparison, in China an average of 6,000 miners die in accidents each year. In November, 108 Chinese miners were killed in a single coal mine explosion in Heilongjiang Province
-Noel Brinkerhoff
US Mine Deaths Hit Record Low of 34 in 2009 (by Roger Alford, Arizona Daily Sun)
MSHA Fatality Statistics (Mine Safety & Health Administration)
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