Arlington, VA – Ten miners were killed during the first three months of 2015, according to preliminary data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Four miners were killed in coal mining incidents, and six were killed in metal and non-metal mining incidents, the agency stated in a press release. The ages of those killed ranged from 29 to 63.
The numbers put MSHA on pace to record 40 fatalities this year, which would represent an increase from last year’s total of 38. In the past four years, MSHA has recorded fatality figures of 37 (2011), 36 (2012), 43 (2013) and 38 (2014).
“The fatalities in 2014 – historic lows in coal fatalities amid increases in metal and non-metal deaths – remind us all of the progress we’ve made and the work ahead of us,” MSHA chief Joseph A. Main said in a press release. “Zero annual fatalities are absolutely possible. It is a goal we pursue daily.”
