SOURCE: MSHA | May 15, 2026
Washington — Mine workers experienced a record-low injury rate last year, which is “cause for celebration,” Mine Safety and Health Administration head Wayne Palmer says.
On April 28, MSHA announced that the all-injury rate – also known as total recordable injury rate – for the mining sector in 2025 was 1.74 per 200,000 hours worked. That’s down from 1.82 the year before.
MSHA factors in “all reportable injuries” when calculating the rate. They include:
- Deaths
- Lost-time injuries
- Injuries involving restricted work activity
- Other injuries requiring medical treatment
The agency credits enhanced training and “smarter enforcement” for leading to the decrease.
“Tracking injuries and fatalities is the most effective measurement of the impact our work is having on the mining communities and workers,” Kelvin Blue, acting deputy director of MSHA’s Directorate of Program Evaluation and Information Resources, said in a press release. “By studying this data, we are able to improve the training and technology we use to work with mines across the country.”
As of April 29, MSHA had recorded eight deaths in the industry this year, compared with 11 at the the same juncture in 2025.
Palmer said in the release that “keeping miners safe is our top priority,” adding that the agency “will continue to work with the mining community to ensure that miners have the tools to stay safe on the job and return to their homes and communities at the end of each day.”
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