Injury Experience and Worktime in the Mineral Industries, by States 
By Forrest T. Moyer' 
 
 
 For the third consecutive year, the overall safety record of the mineral
and mineral fuel industries in 1967 was improved slightly by the continued
reduction in the injury—frequency and the injury—severity rates.
General operating activity was lower than in 1966 as measured by the decline
in total man-hours of work-time at all mineral operations. This lessened
activity reflected in part the reduced demand for minerals and mineral products
in several major segments of the economy, and in part an extended work stoppage
in a major mineral industry. 
 These statistics comprise the injury and work experience of all personnel
engaged in production, exploration, development, maintenance, repair, and
force—account construction work, including supervisory and technical
personnel, and working partners and owners at mineral-producing and mineral-processing
establishments in the United States. Data concerning office workers are excluded
except for the oil and gas industry for which such information is not separable.
All injury rates and totals are calculated from data before rounding. 
 The data for 1967 are preliminary except for the anthracite, coke, petroleum
and natural gas, native asphalt, peat, and slag industries, which are final.
The figures represent full coverage for all industries except oil and gas
for which coverage is not complete, particularly with respect to small companies.

 Injury and employment data were collected from coal producers as required
by the Federal Coal Mine Safety Act as Amended (30 U.S. Code, sec. 455—482,
Supp. III (1968)). Similar ' information was collected as required by the
Federal Metal 
 
and Nonmetallic Mine Safety Act (30 U.S. Code, sec. 721—740, Supp.
III (1968)) from metal, nonmetal, stone, and sand and gravel producers. Mineral
and mineral fuel producers and processors, not covered under either of the
acts, voluntarily reported the requested injury and employment data. 
 
 Injury Experience.—The injury—frequency rate for all mineral
industries in 1967 was 17.11 disabling work injuries per million man-hours
of exposure. This overall rate comprised frequencies of 0.27 for fatal and
16.83 for nonfatal work injuries of which each was slightly more favorable
than the corresponding data of 0.28 and 17.04 for 1966. The total of 
508 fatalities in 1967 was 36 fewer than in the preceding year. Nonfatal
injuries totaled 31,380 or 1,443 fewer than in 1966. The larger proportional
declines in the numbers of injuries—7 percent for fatal and 4 percent
for nonfatal disabilities 
—than the 3-percent decrease in manhours worked resulted in lowered
frequency and severity rates for 1967. 
 The 1967 injury-severity rate of 2,414 days lost per million man-hours for
all mineral industries represented a 5-percent improvement over the corresponding
rate of 2,539 in 1966. 
 Although there was an overall improvement, injury experience of the separate
mineral industry groups displayed varying trends in 1967. (See summary section
at end of table 1.) All general measures of injury experience (number of
injuries, frequency rate, and severity rate) were improved over those of
1966 in the coal, metal, and stone industries. In the oil and 
 
 ' Chief, Branch of Accident Analysis, Division of Accident Prevention and
Health. 
 
 
 
 
 
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