An Insight Into The Mining Industry and Safety Using GIS

A Collaboration with Sofvie Inc.

Introduction

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Goals & Objectives

1. Convert MSHA tabular data into a comprehensive spatial database, fully equipped and optimized for in-depth GIS analysis.

2. Conduct spatial analysis to understand trends in mining accidents, inspections, violations, and fatalities. This to showcase how GIS can be beneficial in understanding mining safety

3. Visualize findings in easy-to-understand maps and dashboards so all backgrounds can interpret results

4. Showcase how results can be communicated for mining companies and stakeholders to make decisions through in-depth reports and Storymaps

Methods

Spatial Database Creation	Spatial Analysis	Data Visualization	Literature Review
Extract, convert, and preprocess data	Animated Map to showcase cumulative increase in accidents from 2000-2023	Static cartographic maps	Previous work on mine safety analysis
Geocode mine addresses	Heatmaps to represent the spatial density of accidents, inspections, and violations	Interactive dashboard to show statistics and a high-level overview of mines in the USA	Regional factors that pertain to high-risk mines
Spatial indexing	Hot spot (Getis-ord-gi) to spatially understand where most accidents are occurring based on the number of accidents at each mine	Time series animation	Mining practices that pertain to high-risk mines
Data validation	Fatality analysis to showcase states with the most deaths	Statistical charts	Environmental factors that pertain to high-risk mines

Results

Dashboard

Dashboard created vs current MSHA data portal

Figure 1. Flowchart representing the process for creating the dashboard within Esri Insights

Animated Map

Figure 2. Animated map showcasing the cumulative increase in accidents from the years 2000 to 2023 symbolized by tessellations and ongoing cumulative accident count

Figure 3. Graph showing the trend in increases in cumulative mine accidents between 2000-2023

In 2023 accidents rose to 4.87% compared to previous years where the rate of increase was around 2-3%
1,304 accidents recorded in 2001 and 12,904 accidents in 2023
On average, the rate of increase throughout the past 23 years was 9.28%

Figure 4. Flowchart representing process for creating the animated cumulative accident map which was repeated 23 times for each cumulative year (2000-2001, 2000-2002, etc)

Figure 5. Legend for the flowcharts specifying what each shape/color means

Heat Map

Figure 6. Map representing the spatial density of accidents symbolized through a heat map with low and high areas of accidents

Most accidents take place in the country's east, and especially along the borders of Kentucky and West Virginia
Potentially due to this particular area having a long history of coal mining

Figure 7. Map representing spatial density of inspections symbolized through a heat map with low and high areas of inspections

The highest number of inspections are along the borders of Pennsylvania and West Virginia
High levels of mining activity in the northeastern and eastern United States
Possibly due to these areas having a higher demand for ensuring compliance with safety standards

Figure 8. Map representing the spatial density of violations symbolized through a heat map with low and high areas of violations

Kentucky and West Virginia have the highest number of violations in the entire country
Similar to the accident heat map (Figure 6)
These two states have a long-documented history of mine operation and violations

Figure 9. Flowchart representing process for creating the accident/inspection/violation heat map

Hotspot Map

Figure 10. Evaluating hotspots of accidents specifically number of injuries in mining accidents from the years 2000-2023

Map highlights four primary regions with notable clusters of injury-causing accidents
Hot spot with 99% confidence seen in California, the area between Wyoming and Montana, the border regions of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and the northeastern section of the map between Connecticut and New York
Likely that the prevalence of accidents in certain areas is linked to their significant mining industry

Figure 11. Flowchart representing process for creating the accident hotspot map

Fatality Map

Figure 12. State aggregated fatalities map normalized by number of mines within each state

Majority of mine fatalities are concentrated in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Nevada
The historical legacy of coal mining provides an explanation for the occurrences in the eastern states
Nevada's desert environment can create harsh working conditions for miners. Factors like extreme heat, limited water resources, and inhospitable terrain can increase the risk of accidents and fatalities in mining activities.

Figure 13. Flowchart representing process for creating the fatalities choropleth map

Conclusion

We gain deeper insights by spatially analyzing mining data, identifying geographical patterns, and visualizing trends that traditional data analysis methods might miss

By transforming the data into spatially aware data we were then able to conduct spatial analysis and create the hotspot map, heat maps, and fatalities maps
Visualizing the results in an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-understand way

Recommendations

California and Wyoming are at high risk of accidents and special safety precautions need to be placed in these areas
Nevada’s heat and dry climate potentially lead to more fatalities. Therefore, things like air conditioning, fresh air ducts, and mist machines can help mitigate the number of fatalities.

GIS does not mean Geographical Information ~~Systems~~ rather it means Geographical Information Science

Employing a systematic, scientific methodology to extract meaningful information from spatial data
GIS is extremely beneficial in evidence-based decision-making in mine safety.

We urge stakeholders to use our project as a framework for future GIS mining analysis in order to increase the sustainability of this industry.

References

[1] Mine Data Retrieval System. United States Department of Labor. (2023, September 12). https://www.msha.gov/data-and-reports/mine-data-retrieval-system [2] Safety and Health Initiatives. United States Department of Labor. (2023). https://www.msha.gov/safety-and-health/safety-and-health-initiatives [3] Nevada Mining 2022. Global Business Reports. (2022). https://www.gbreports.com/files/pdf/_2021/Nevada_Mining_2022_-_Web_Preview2.pdf [4] California Mining & Minerals. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. (2017). https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/mining-and-minerals/about/california [5] Montana-Dakotas Mining & Minerals. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. (2017). https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/mining-and-minerals/about/montana [6] Wyoming Mining & Minerals. U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. (2017). https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/mining-and-minerals/about/wyoming