Underground mining and occupational health The . Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Institute for Occupa- tional Safety and Health (NIOSH) track occupa- tional injuries and disabilities, chronic illnesses, and mortality inminers in the United States. From1973 to 2006 the incidence rate of all nonfatal injuries de- creased from 1973 to 1987, then increased dramat- ically in 1988, then decreased from 1988 to 2006. Major accidents still occur. In January 2006, 17min- ers died in Appalachian coal mines, including 12 at the Sago mine inWest Virginia, and 29 miners died at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West VA on April 5, 2010. Since 1900 over 100,000 have been killed.
