CDC Memo 1

Why is this survey being done?
The mission of the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is
working to improve the safety and health of
American workers. As part of this effort,
NIOSH/Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL) is
collecting demographic and other data on the mining
industry.
Since 1986, there has been little research on the
demographics of the mining labor force, such as
age, gender, job title, languages used, educational
attainment, race, ethnicity, and years of mining
experience. These data are needed to understand
the risk of work-related injuries, disease and
fatalities and to customize safety and health
interventions for specific groups of the mining
industry. These data can also be used to learn
more about the underlying causes of work-related
incidents and to identify ways to reduce their
occurrence.
NIOSH/PRL is sponsoring this survey of mining
operations and their employees to fill this data
gap. Our main objectives are to:

 collect basic information about mining
operations;

 establish the demographic and occupational

characteristics of mine operator employees for
each mining commodity (i.e., coal, metal,
nonmetal, stone, and sand and gravel); and

 estimate the number of independent
contractor employees used by mining
operations and their occupational
characteristics.

What will the mining industry and my
mine get out of this survey?
The ultimate goal of the survey is to minimize and
prevent work-related injuries and diseases that
harm miners and reduce productivity. NIOSH will
use the information you provide to clarify safety
and health issues and calculate injury rates for
various occupations. For example, we now know
how many electricians are reported as injured in
mine accidents, but we don’t know how many
total electricians work in the mining industry, in
order to calculate their injury rates. Once the
survey is completed, such rates will be available,
and NIOSH will send you a copy of the final
report.

What data will be collected?
There are two sets of data being collected:
 The mine questions include items about the
mining operation, its use of independent
contractors, safety, and communication
measures.

 The employee questions include

demographic and occupational questions
about individual mine employees.

It is important that you complete both parts of
the survey. You have the option of completing
either the survey questionnaire booklet or an
Internet survey questionnaire. Both versions ask
the same questions. Instructions to access the
Internet questionnaire are attached to the cover
letter included in this mailing.

Am I required to participate?
Your participation is voluntary and you may refuse
to answer any question for any reason. However,
the participation of each selected mining
operation is vital to the success of the survey.

Why was my mining operation chosen?
Your mining operation was randomly selected
from a list of all mining operations nationwide.
The sample must represent the diversity of mining
operations across the Nation. The information you
provide is essential to obtain an accurate picture of
the mining industry.

Who will see my responses?
Only NIOSH researchers, and
researchers from Westat, NIOSH’s data
collection contractor, will see your responses.
Both organizations are firmly committed to
protecting the survey data and will not release
this information unless compelled by law.
The answers from all participating mines will
be published only as summarized data so that no
single company or individual employee can be identified.

Do I need to report data for all
employees of our mining operation?
If you have less than 30 employees at this mining
operation, we ask you to report for all of them.
If you have 30 or more employees at this mine,
we ask you to report data for only a sample of
them.

In order to get good data about the mining
industry, it is very important that you sample
accurately. Our aim is to make the sampling of
employees as simple as possible. Step by step
instructions are provided on how to select
employees.

Should I include independent
contractors in the employee questions?
Contractor information should only be included
when responding to the mine questions.
Contractors should not be counted as employees
when completing the employee questions. Only
data for mine operator employees should be
included on the employee questions.
If the mining operation is being run by your
company under contract to the owner, report for
your employees but exclude workers associated
with other independent contractors.

Is it appropriate for me to release
information about employees who work
here?
You will not be reporting the name or other
identifying information of individual employees.
The data you provide cannot be linked to any of
your individual employees.

How long will the survey take?
Although this varies by mining operation, on
average it will take 120 minutes to complete the
survey. This includes obtaining information from
personnel records, and should take less time for
smaller mines.

For further information on the purpose of
this survey, please contact:
Linda McWilliams
Project Director
NIOSH, Pittsburgh Research Laboratory
626 Cochrans Mill Road
P.O. Box 18070, Bldg. 01
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
(412) 386-6116
E-mail: LMcWilliams@cdc.gov
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/statistics/survey.htm

National Survey of the
Mining Population

Questions and
Answers

For further information on how to fill out
the questionnaire, please contact:
Westat
Attn: National Mining Survey
1650 Research Boulevard
Room TC-1046F
Rockville, MD 20850
(888) 814-4707

Sponsored by the
National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Pittsburgh Research Laboratory
P.O. Box 18070
Pittsburgh, PA 15236