Mine Inspection Data Analysis System

Abstract

Abstract In 1980, the U.S. Bureau of Mines developed the Mine Inspection Data Analysis System. It is a computerized industrial hygiene database capable of statistically analyzing Mine Safety and Health Administration compliance data collected in coal and noncoal mines and mills. Data are collected by inspectors and mine operators, and are provided to the Bureau annually on magnetic tape. The Bureau extracts, merges, and edits these data to reduce storage requirements and to facilitate analysis. Selected data are stored in ASCII format and are analyzed using a 486/DX4–100 personal computer. The database contains approximately 1.5 million records of respirable coal mine dust samples collected since 1981, and about 45,000 records of respirable coal mine dust samples analyzed for quartz. Another 6 million records of respirable coal mine dust samples dating from 1970 are archived on magnetic tape. The database also contains records of approximately 750,000 personal and area samples collected at metal and nonmetal mines and mills from 1974 through 1992. These samples were collected to determine the concentration of about 130 different substances and noise in noncoal mines and mills. In addition, there are approximately 4000 records of samples collected from 1976 through 1978 for a variety of contaminants at 22 underground non-coal mines using diesel-powered equipment. Analyses of data have shown which commodities, locations, and job categories have the highest exposures. These analyses have assisted the Bureau in planning, prioritizing, and conducting industrial hygiene research activities at surface and underground mines and mills. They have also been used by the Mine Safety and Health Administration to assess the potential impact of proposed changes in occupational health standards and to evaluate compliance sampling strategies. The objectives of this report are to describe the database and software, and to provide examples of how the database has been used to evaluate exposure to respirable dust containing at least 1 percent quartz in metal and non-metal mines and mills. Watts, Jr., W.F.; Parker, D.R.: Mine Inspection Data Analysis System. Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 10(4):323–330; 1995.