Evaluation of Accuracy and Completeness of Nonfatal Injury and Illness Reporting in the Mining Industry Final Report
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About the Report
Under a contract funded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO), Eastern Research Group (ERG) and its subcontractor the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC), conducted a study to examine the level of accuracy and completeness of injury/illness reporting in the mining industry and identify feasible improvement approaches that Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) could implement. MSHA considers accurate data on injuries and illnesses critical to the Agency’s core mission of worker protection.
Such data, reported in Part 50 (where operators report each accident, occupational injury, or occupational illness at the mine), provide the basis for understanding trends over time, using limited resources effectively, and designing improved regulatory, training, and enforcement interventions. In the report, the data reported by mine operators is used to calculate the injury and illness “severity rate.” Mine operators who fail to file accident and injury reports are operating mines that are, by definition, less safe than they appear. Miners working in mines that are unsafe are at higher risk of severe injuries, occupational illnesses, and fatalities.
Research Questions
- To what extent is there underreporting of injuries and illnesses under Part 50?
- Are there other strategies that could be implemented, in addition to the Part 50 audits, to insure more accurate and complete reporting of accidents, injuries and illnesses for the purposes of monitoring?
Key Takeaways
In reviewing MSHA’s inspection and Part 50 audit activities, researchers found that those activities alone indicate underreporting on the 5 – 9 percent range. The workers’ compensation to Part 50 matching, however, shows more extensive underreporting.
- ERG recommends that MSHA conduct both random audits and targeted Part 50 audits.
- ERG recommends that MSHA conduct the random audits using the Potential Pattern of Violations (PPOV) approach and protocols to ensure that the audits are conducted with rigor.
- ERG also recommends that MSHA perform detailed analysis of the random audits to better target future audits.
Citation
Eastern Research Group. (2013). Evaluation of Accuracy and Completeness of Nonfatal Injury and Illness Reporting in the Mining Industry: Final Report (Revised). Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.
The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.