Mining Incidents

Mining Incidents in Tennessee

Every reportable accident on file with MSHA at a Tennessee mine. Operators below are ranked by recorded fatality count in this state.

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Fatalities recorded
27
Total incidents
3,647
Fatal rate
1%
Years on record
2000–2025

Year-over-year fatalities

  1. 2000 1
  2. 2002 3
  3. 2003 1
  4. 2004 2
  5. 2005 1
  6. 2006 2
  7. 2007 1
  8. 2009 2
  9. 2010 1
  10. 2012 1
  11. 2013 1
  12. 2016 1
  13. 2019 2
  14. 2021 3
  15. 2022 1
  16. 2023 2
  17. 2024 1
  18. 2025 1

Top mines in Tennessee by fatality count

  1. 01 Immel Mine 3fatal
  2. 02 Young Mine 2fatal
  3. 03 Knoxville Cement Plant 2fatal
  4. 04 Troy Plant 2fatal
  5. 05 Sevier County Quarry 1fatal

Top operators by fatality count

  1. 01 Nyrstar Tennessee Mines, Strawberry Plains LLC 5fatal
  2. 02 Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC 5fatal
  3. 03 CEMEX Construction Materials Atlantic, LLC 2fatal
  4. 04 Ford Construction Company 2fatal
  5. 05 Blue Water Industries 1fatal
  6. 06 Hinkle Contracting Company LLC 1fatal
  7. 07 Kopper Glo Mining, LLC 1fatal
  8. 08 Lhoist North America Of Tennessee, LLC 1fatal
  9. 09 National Coal Corporation 1fatal
  10. 10 RAJA Stone, Inc 1fatal

Recent fatalities

July 12, 2025 TN · Metal/Non-Metal scoop tram operator, load/haul/dump operator Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK

Operator was conducting remoting activities in an area known as the 2025 area when a large rock contacted the cab. Operator was found in the cab out past the designated no-go line and sustained fatal injuries.

September 20, 2024 TN · Metal/Non-Metal front-end loader, scraper-loader operator, pan operator, payloader, scraper rig operator Fatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Blue Water Industries · Fall from machine

Employee found face down on ground next to loader EE was operating. Responding authorities pronounced employee deceased. Incident is still under investigation.

April 9, 2023 TN · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, blacksmith, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, pick-up man, pitman Fatality · MACHINERY
South Pittsburg Stone · Struck by flying object

The victim was mounting a haul truck tire on a rim when a rim locking ring dislodged and struck employee, causing fatal injuries.

January 4, 2023 TN · Metal/Non-Metal crusher attendant/operator, pan feeder operator/worker Fatality · MACHINERY
Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Employee was assisting repair/replace toggle plate and toggle plate bearings on the jaw crusher when they suffered a pinning type injury.

November 5, 2022 TN · Metal/Non-Metal utility man, shift tech, service/dump truck operator Fatality · OTHER
CEMEX Construction Materials Atlantic, LLC · Caught in, under or between collapsing material or buildings

Employee was operating front end loader in the coal shed. For unknown reasons employee left the loader and was engulfed in the coal pile near the grizzly bars for the feeding system.

May 18, 2021 TN · Metal/Non-Metal utility man, errand boy, service truck operator Fatality · MACHINERY
Nyrstar Tennessee Mines, Strawberry Plains LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

A group solely comprised of RWS contractors [MSHA Contractor ID B5045] was working in the mine. A pump sitting on a trailer was moved by RWS contractors by a telehandler, without notification to Nyrstar. RWS hitched the trailer to their telehandler. RWS pulled the trailer up a ramp. The trailer hitch broke. An individual RWS EE traveling on foot behind the trailer was struck

February 22, 2021 TN · Metal/Non-Metal grizzly worker, grizzly tender, grizzlyman, chute puller, chute tapper Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Nyrstar Tennessee Mines, Strawberry Plains LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

A rail haulage offsider was riding back to the chute to get another load when the locomotive over traveled into the chute causing fatal injuries to the offsider rail employee.

July 15, 2019 TN · Metal/Non-Metal prep plant foreman, supervisor, mill plant supervisor, kiln supervisor Fatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC · Over-exertion (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Plant Manager aggravated a pre-existing injury to the right heel tearing a blood blister while walking over a level drill bench. On July 20th, EE died after complications following surgery after an x-ray revealed a broken right heel bone and torn achilles tendon.

June 10, 2019 TN · Metal/Non-Metal electrician helper Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Pending Investigation - Victim was leveling material in a trench made for laying electrical conduit, manager was operating front-end loader above. The front-end loader was being used to back fill the trench when the bank collapsed causing the front-end loader to slide into the trench. The victim was fatally injured when victim was pinned between loader and jersey block.

July 25, 2016 TN · Metal/Non-Metal rotary bucket excavator operator Fatality · FALL OF FACE/RIB/PILLAR/SIDE/HIGHWALL
Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC · Struck by falling object

The injured employee was working in the North East corner of the pit loading shot rock. While waiting for the haul truck to return to the muck pile, the excavator was struck by several large rocks. No one witnessed the accident. The haul truck driver discovered the accident scene and rescue/recovery efforts begun. The excavator operator was fatally injured.

July 10, 2013 TN · Metal/Non-Metal bulldozer operator, universal operator, heavy equipment operator, operating engineer Fatality · MACHINERY
Ford Construction Company · Unclassified, insufficient data

Operator working at site pushing material and apparently went over earthen wall into water.

September 26, 2012 TN · Coal bull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift boss Fatality · FALL OF ROOF OR BACK
Kopper Glo Mining, LLC · Struck by falling object

Victim was inby last row of support when a rock fell on him causing death.

May 14, 2010 TN · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech Fatality · EXPLODING VESSELS UNDER PRESSURE
CEMEX Construction Materials Atlantic, LLC · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

EE was cutting drill head from drill steel. Cutting operation resulted in fragmentation of drill steel. EE was struck by drill steel fragment resulting in his death.

October 9, 2009 TN · Coal haul/off road/coal/ore/pit/quarry/rock/rubber tire truck driver, transportation truck driver Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
National Coal Corporation · Struck against stationary object

Truck traveling from mine site. The victim had truck in high gear, truck was out of control, he put truck in ditch and jumped out. Victim received fatal injury to head.

July 29, 2007 TN · Metal/Non-Metal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler Fatality · SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Nyrstar Tennessee Mines, Strawberry Plains LLC · Fall down raise, shaft or manway

Employee was working approximately 550' down in elevator shaft, working off top of elevator. Beam came loose that was thought to be secured. Employee fell from top of elevator to bottom of shaft, resulting in his death.

April 22, 2006 TN · Metal/Non-Metal utility man, errand boy, service truck operator Fatality · POWERED HAULAGE
Lhoist North America Of Tennessee, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Utility operator was preparing to wash out the rail scale. The loader operator was weighing the loader on the scale. The loader operator announced on the radio that he was moving the loader off the scale. He slowly moved forward when he observed the utility operator on the ground. The utility operator apparently fell and was crushed by the front left tire of the loader.

April 3, 2006 TN · Metal/Non-Metal electrician, lineman Fatality · ELECTRICAL
Vulcan Construction Materials, LLC · Contact with electrical current

The employee suffered a fatal electrocution injury while engaged in positioning the electrical MCC building. The boom truck became energized when contacting overhead power lines.

November 18, 2005 TN · Metal/Non-Metal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech Fatality · MACHINERY
Rogers Group Inc · Struck by... (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Disassembling a crushing plant. two employees were attempting to remove the motor that drove the hazmac crusher by using a boom truck. The motor became stuck on the motor mount bolts that had been cut off using a torch. The employees then tried to pry it from its stuck position when it freed and came forward.

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