Mining has long been recognized as a hazardous occupation, and historically, it has been dominated by men. However, there is limited understanding of the specific injuries experienced by women mine workers. Previous studies have either excluded women from the analysis or aggregated the data without considering sex. Mine Accident, Injury, and Illness reports published by MSHA were analyzed from 1979–2023. Fatal and non-fatal injuries among women were analyzed by age at the time of injury, mining commodity, work activity performed at the time of the injury, job description, and part of body affected. Of the 17,848 injuries among women miners, 37.5% in coal miners and 62.5% occurred in metal/nonmetal (MNM). The majority of injuries occurred among miners aged 19–34 years (coal: 38.4%; MNM: 42.0%), with coal miners having the most injuries with 1–5 years of total tenure (32.8%) and MNM miners with less than one year of total tenure (39.8%). For both sectors, the highest number of injuries occurred among general laborers (coal: 43.8%; MNM: 27.2%) and during material handling (coal: 26.5%; MNM: 30.2%). Back (coal: 21.9%; MNM: 18.9%) and hands (coal: 14.5%; MNM: 15.3%) were the most commonly affected body parts. This study points to the importance of safety measures and research to address acute injuries women miners face, particularly younger and less experienced workers. © This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply 2025.

Objective: To describe the work experience and respiratory health of women coal miners in the United States using Coal Workers' Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP) data. Methods: Analysis included CWHSP participants with self-reported sex of female between January 1, 1970, and December 31, 2022, and examined radiographic surveillance, demographics, and job history. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health-certified physicians classified chest radiographs. Results: Among 8,182 women participants, most worked <10 years and a majority reported working in non-dusty jobs. Among 3,392 with ≥1 year of coal mining tenure, 18 (0.5%) had evidence of pneumoconiosis, with no cases of progressive massive fibrosis. Conclusion: Women coal miners participating in the CWSHP had short mining careers and low pneumoconiosis prevalence. Few worked in the most dusty jobs, indicating limited exposure to coal mine dust. This underscores the need to explore women's roles in mining, and for improved gender-specific employment reporting. Such changes can enhance health and work conditions for women in male-dominated industries.

BACKGROUND: Inhalation injuries due to acute occupational exposures to chemicals are preventable. National surveillance of acute inhalation exposures is limited. This study identified the most common acute inhalation exposure-related incidents by industry sector among US workers. METHODS: To characterize inhalation-related injuries and their exposures during April 2011-March 2022, state and federal records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Occupational Safety and Health Information System (OIS) accident database were analyzed. Industry-specific injury, hospitalization, and fatality rates were calculated. RESULTS: The most frequent acute inhalation incidents investigated by OSHA were caused by inorganic gases (52.9%) such as carbon monoxide (CO) or acids, bases, and oxidizing chemical agents (12.9%) such as anhydrous ammonia. The largest number of fatal and nonfatal injuries were reported in the manufacturing (28.6%) and construction (17.2%) sectors. CONCLUSIONS: Workers were affected by acute inhalation exposures in most industries. Using this surveillance, employers can recognize frequently-occurring preventable acute inhalation exposures by industry, such as inorganic gases in the manufacturing sector, and implement prevention measures. Training of workers on exposure characteristics and limits, adverse health effects, and use of protective equipment by exposure agent can prevent inhalation injuries.