Slips and falls are the second leading cause (after materials handling) of musculoskeletal injuries in the mining industry. They can occur from irregular surface conditions across the mine site or from getting on or off mining equipment. Slips can cause muscle strain that can contribute to cumulative types of injuries, or they can lead to a fall and a potential acute injury (like a broken ankle). Slips and falls are known to occur at higher rates with increasing mine worker age

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Fall From Equipment Injuries in U.S. Mining: Identification of Specific Research Areas for Future Investigation (PDF, 229 KB, 2009)
This study evaluates the circumstances leading to fall from equipment injuries in the mining industry.

Modeling the Effect of Seal Leakage on Spontaneous Heating in a Longwall Gob Area (PDF, 201 KB, 2010)
In this NIOSH study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model developed in previous work is used to model the effect of seal leakage on spontaneous heating of coal in longwall gob behind the seal.