labor lawAdivision of labor law center

There are a half-million abandoned mines out there.

Mining sites, both active and abandoned, can be a threat to Colorado worker safety. Many are also a danger to children and people in casual outdoor activities. Since 1999, more than 200 have been killed in accidents on mining property.

Richard Stickler, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health, says that besides the 500,000 abandoned mines there another 14,000 active ones in the U.S. “Many of them,” he adds, “contain hidden hazards and, for those not trained to work in mines, the outcome can be deadly.” That’s why, he says, workers, bikers, hikers, climbers, and swimmers are being urged to “Stay Out – Stay Alive.”

“Stay Out – Stay Alive,” the Labor Department’s new safety campaign, is designed to warn workers, children, and outdoors enthusiasts about the many hazards of mine sites. Some of the tools being used by the campaign are public service announcements and visits by mine safety and health experts to scouting groups or schools to warn children about the risks involved in trespassing and playing on mine property.

What are some of the hidden dangers? Hidden mineshafts pose a serious risk Workers in fields not directly related to mining may be injured when they fall into mineshafts. Often these shafts are hidden by a deceptive layer of boards, which may actually be decaying or rotten, giving way under very little weight. Explosives are a hazard. Misfired or unused explosives such as blasting caps can be set off by small disturbances or a mere touch. Tunnels may collapse. Inside those tunnels there may be deep water. Snakes and insects may be nesting inside. Sometimes poisonous gases are trapped inside the shafts.

Some of the more than 200 deaths in mining accidents since 1999 have included recreational users and children. 

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