Mining facts - 2007.
2009
Mining OperationsIn 2007, a total of 14,871 mining operations reported employment data to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). 1 Almost half (48.4%) were sand and gravel mines, followed by stone mines (31.2%), coal mines (13.7%), nonmetal mines (4.9%), and metal mines (1.9%). EmployeesThere were 271,414 mine operator employees, 2 or 275,871 full-time equivalent (FTE) 3 workers.For mine operators, 18.9% of the employee hours were for underground work locations, while 81.1% of the employee hours were for surface work locations.4