CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The West Virginia Coal Association today commended the men and women of the American coal industry following the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration’s announcement that the total recordable injury rate across U.S. mines fell to a record low of 1.74 per 200,000 hours worked in 2025 — down from 1.82 in 2024 and the lowest figure ever recorded for the nation’s mining sector.
The data, released by MSHA in late April 2026, reflects a decade-long trend of continuous safety improvement. The 1.74 rate encompasses all non-fatal reportable injuries, including lost-time incidents, restricted work activity cases, and injuries requiring medical treatment. Critically, this record was set during a period of increased coal and mineral production — proof that safety and productivity are complements, not competitors.
“This record belongs to the miners,” said Chris Hamilton, President of the West Virginia Coal Association. “Every shift foreman who ran a proper pre-shift examination, every miner who called out a hazard before it became an incident, every safety officer who held the line on procedure when shortcuts were tempting — this number is theirs. West Virginia’s coal miners have always been among the safest, most skilled workers on earth, and the data keeps confirming it.”
MSHA officials attributed the historic low to continued advancements in mine safety technology, improved training protocols, and stronger industry-wide safety culture. The West Virginia Coal Association has long supported rigorous safety training and the integration of new technology into mine operations, and this outcome validates that investment.
Fatalities Demand Continued Vigilance
The record-low injury rate does not diminish the weight of loss. Total mining fatalities across all sectors rose to approximately 33 in 2025, up from 26 the prior year. Coal mining accounted for 8 of those deaths. Powered haulage equipment was identified as the single deadliest hazard, responsible for 13 of the 33 total fatalities industry-wide.
Those numbers are a reminder that safety in this industry is never finished work.
“We celebrate the record, and we grieve the losses — at the same time, without apology for doing both,” Hamilton said. “Eight families lost a coal miner in 2025. That is eight too many. We do not ever lose sight of that.”
The WVCA reaffirms its commitment to the foundational principle that has guided coal country for generations: every miner goes home. That obligation does not belong to management alone, or to regulators alone. It belongs to every person who steps into a mine — to watch for each other, speak up for each other, and hold each other to the standard this industry has earned the right to claim.
The work continues.
