2012 had lowest fatality rate in history of U.S. mining industry
Violations down by 18 percent
Figures released Wednesday by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) revealed that 2012 had the lowest fatality and injury rates in the history of U.S. mining, along with the lowest rate of contractor fatalities since the agency began calculating those rates in 1983.
Thirty-six miners died on the job last year. Five contractors died in mining accidents, compared to 11 in 2011, nearly half the lowest number ever recorded.