1539PART IV. MINE SAFETY
EMPLOYMENT AND ACCIDENTS IN THE MINERAL
INDUSTRIES
By W. W. ADAMS


SUMMARY OUTLINE
Page
 Introduction 1549 Employment and accidents—Continued. Page
 Employment and accidents 1542  Slate quarries  1546
  Bituminous-coal mines 1542  Traprock quarries  1547
  Anthracite mines 1543  Granite quarries  1547
  Iron-oremines. 1544  Sandstonequarries  1547
  Copper mines~ 1544  Limestone quarries  1547
  Lead and zinc mines (Mississippi Valley   Limekilns and quarries . 1548
 States) 1545 Byproduct coke ovens                  1548 Gold and silver
mines (lode and placer, in- Beehive coke ovens                      1548
 eluding copper, lead, and zinc) 1545 Ore-dressing plants               
    1548
 Miscellaneous metal mines 1545 Smelters 1549
 Nonmetallic-mineral mines 1546 Auxiliary works at ore-dressing plants and
 Cementmillsandquarries 1546 smelters. 1549
 Marble quarries 1546 Summary, 1932-41 1549



INTRODUCTION -

 Employment in nearly all branches of the mineral industry of the United
States made gains during 1941, according to information sent by operating
.companies to the Bureau of Mines. Although reports received thus far do
not cover all active operations, they reveal that of the 22 groups of mineral
industries for which separate figures have been compiled 17 groups employed
more men and 20 worked a larger aggregate number of man-hours than in 1940;
these 22 classes are listed in an accompanying table. As far as can be judged
from information
now available, the only groups that experienced a reduction in total employee-hours
worked during 1941 were gold placer mines and marble quarries, both of which
apparently suffered a loss in number of employees and in man-hours worked.
 The increase in number of employees and in total man-hours of work performed
during the year were natural results of war demands for mineral products.
 With larger volume and accelerated tempo of work came a larger number of
injuries from accidents to employees. Fortunately, the number of fatal accidents
decreased; the number of nonfatal losttime injuries was larger than in 1940.
The gain in man-hours worked, however, prevented a large rise, in the accident-frequency
rate (number: of acciden~ts per million man-hours of work) which was only
slightly higher in 1941 than in 1940. The rate for fatal accidents was reduced,
so the slight increase .in total accident frequency was solely in the rate
for nonfatal injuries.
 A review of employment and accidents in the mineral industries of the United
States for the 11 years 1931—41 shows that the number of employees
reached a maximum in 1937. The maximum volume of