Slips, trips, and falls (STFs) pose a significant financial burden to employers and account for over 33% of the total nonfatal workers' compensation cost in the United States. Previous analyses documenting the burden of STF incidents in the mining industry have focused on occupational fatalities or STFs during equipment ingress, egress. There is limited information on the burden of nonfatal STF incidents in the mining industry and most of it is outdated. Hence, to increase awareness and highlight the importance of STFs in the mining industry, this analysis documents the burden associated with nonfatal STF incidents at surface stone, sand, and gravel (SSG) mines from 2008 through 2017. In this time frame, nonfatal STF incidents occurred at a rate of 62 per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees per year. Pits had a higher prevalence of injuries, but plants had a higher incidence rate. In addition, nonfatal STF incidents at surface SSG mines led to approximately 23,800 total days lost per year with an estimated cost to the mining industry of $17.5 million per year. Assessed violations that are not related to reported injuries but are related to STF hazards identified during Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspections cost the mining industry approximately $3 million per year from 2013 through 2017. Based on the data analyzed in this study, falls to the lower level pose a higher burden in terms of cost; however, falls to the same level have a higher number of incidents and incidence rate.
Keywords: Burden; Cost; Fall; Injury; Mining; Slip.