Accident Analysis of Mining Industry in the United States – A retrospective study for 36 years

Elham Rahimi, Department of Mineral Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, USA and John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, University Park, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
Younes Shekarian, Department of Mineral Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, USA and John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, University Park, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
Naser Shekarian, Department of Information Systems, Business School, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA
Pedram Roghanchi, Department of Mineral Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM, USA

Author ORCID Identifier

Elham Rahimi 0000-0002-2898-0616

Younes Shekarian 0000-0001-8240-2895

Naser Shekarian 0000-0001-8225-3631

Pedram Roghanchi 0000-0003-4696-8845

Abstract

A retrospective study on accident analysis of the United States mines for 36 years was achieved using statistical analysis on the MSHA's accident databases between 1983 and 2018. A regression model of generalized estimation equation (GEE) was used for unbalanced panel data that provided 95,812 observations for 19,924 mine-ID-year in aggregate, coal, metal, and non-metal mines. The contributions of various parameters, including mine type, injured body part, days lost, age, and experience on the rate of accidents and injuries were investigated across the commodity types. The results showed coal miners in the East region are at a higher risk of accident. The results of regression analysis show that mine-tenured workers have a vital role in accident frequencies. Analysis of the injured body part on the injury rate indicates that the upper body injuries are the most significant among all mine types. Also, the fatality rate is significant in aggregate, and coal mines in comparison with metal and non-metal mines.

Recommended Citation

Rahimi, Elham; Shekarian, Younes; Shekarian, Naser; and Roghanchi, Pedram (2022) "Accident Analysis of Mining Industry in the United States – A retrospective study for 36 years," Journal of Sustainable Mining: Vol. 21 : Iss. 1 , Article 3.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.46873/2300-3960.1345