Mining Project: Inexperience as a Contributor to Workplace Injury

Research Summary

In 2017, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and other NIOSH stakeholders issued a press release expressing concerns about the higher number of injuries and fatalities for miners with less experience. Preliminary analysis of incident data from 2006 to 2017 shows that miners with less experience make up a high number of the injured in both coal and non-coal sectors. Although inexperience is a known risk factor for workers in many industries, including mining, the relationship between inexperience and injury cannot be adequately characterized without a deeper analysis of relative risk. Moreover, NIOSH is not certain as to which mine practices may be reducing or exacerbating the challenges that less experienced miners face in working safely. Without an adequate characterization of the relationships, practices, and barriers, researchers cannot effectively advise mines on what actions to take to mitigate risks related to inexperience.

For the above reasons, the need exists to better understand the role that worker inexperience plays in injury prevalence. The NIOSH Mining Program has access to the pertinent data and statistical expertise required to estimate relative risk and to identify targets requiring intervention. Furthermore, a proper analysis of this problem requires operational data from multiple operators and sectors, and the Mining Program has the relationships and resources to gather such data. NIOSH researchers have extensive experience in collaborating with industry and intra-NIOSH colleagues to translate scientific assets into informational and training resources that have been adopted throughout the industry.

To address the question of inexperience and associated risks, this project has three aims, which will be undertaken as described below. 

1. Characterize the effect that miner inexperience has on the risk of injury. This research aim involves multivariate analyses of available quantitative data on miner injuries and fatalities from MSHA, using miner demographic estimates from NIOSH’s national survey to calculate relative risk rates for injury based on levels of experience in mining, at a particular mine, and in a specific job.
2. Investigate current practices for transitioning miners into new workplaces or tasks. This research aim takes an applied ethnographic approach—using qualitative analysis of key informant interviews and relevant onboarding, training, and safe performance support materials to determine current industry practices related to onboarding new employees and to assigning personnel to new tasks or work locations. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval will be secured before undertaking this research aim.
3. Provide industry with informational safety and intervention tools targeting less experienced miners, their co-workers, trainers, and mine management. To achieve this research aim, evidence of significant relationships among levels and types of experience and injury frequency and relevant translational products will be disseminated to the industry.

Results of this work will be relevant to miners in all sectors. A description of the types of experience that affect risk of injury by sector will help mine operators to focus interventions on miners found to be at the highest risk of injury. Improved information and mitigation tools will be delivered to industry via the NIOSH Mining website and conferences. These tools will enable the industry to better address key areas identified through the research. Together, these efforts should lead to a reduction in inexperience-related injury rates in mining.