Coal deaths nearly double; hardrock deaths reach record low

摘要

The number of coal mining deaths nearly doubled in 2017 while fatalities in all other types of mines reached an all-time low. Fifteen coal miners died on the job last year. That's almost twice the industry's record-low eight fatalities in 2016, government statistics show. The sharp increase was accompanied by a modest rise in coal production from 2016 to 2017 — 6.4 percent as of Dec. 23, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Eight miners died last year just in West Virginia, which has led the nation in coal fatalities in four of the last five years. Kentucky had two deaths, and Alabama, Colorado, Montana, Pennsylvania and Wyoming each registered one. More than half the fatalities were attributed to accidents involving vehicles for hauling coal.