NORA Mining Sector Council
Formed in 2010, The NORA Mining Sector Council brings together individuals and organizations to share information, and identify current and emerging safety and health problems facing the mining industry. The Council maintains a National Agenda that, developed by statistical analyses and tempered by the expertise of Council members, identifies those long-term research and development goals that most likely be achievable and result in a safety and health benefit to the nation’s miners. The Council seeks to facilitate the most important research, understand the most effective intervention strategies, and learn how to implement those strategies to achieve sustained improvements in workplace practice. Contact the Co-chair or NORA Coordinator with any questions, comments, or to volunteer.
The NORA Mining Council recently held a webinar on hearing loss prevention in the mining industry featuring several NIOSH researchers. An archived recording is availableexternal icon.
For NORA the Mining Sector is defined by the industry segments coded under NAICS Code 212external icon: Mining (except Oil and Gas), which includes the coal mining, metal ore mining, and nonmetallic mineral mining and quarrying segments of the industry, and those sections that apply to these segments coded under NAICS Code 213: Support Activities for Mining. The Mining sector comprised over 349,000 paid workers in 2015 (not counting those in oil and gas extraction). These workers face risks that include falling materials, explosions, fires, powered haulage, overexertion, electrical equipment, and exposure to particulates and dusts including diesel emissions, coal dust and silica dust.
Improved mining practices, research, and equipment technology advances have reduced the frequency of injuries and diseases, but they are still above acceptable industrial levels. The Mine Safety and Health Administration, MSHA (www.msha.govexternal icon) injury statistics indicate that mining is at an all-time low for reportable injuries, including fatal, non-fatal days lost, non-fatal no days lost injuries. Given that mining is an inherently dangerous industry, vigilance with respect to safety and health is an absolute need to prevent injuries, fatalities, and disease.
The Mining Sector of NORA is dedicated to continuing to reduce these incidences through miner health and safety research. The NORA Oil and Gas Extraction Council focuses on workers in industries extracting liquid and gas deposits.
Information is available about the NIOSH Mining Program, which facilitates the work of the Council.