Heavy equipment accidents in US mining
574 US mining deaths since 2000 involved heavy equipment, 63% of the 906 deaths whose MSHA record names the equipment involved. Haul trucks (off-highway) were the deadliest, with 123 deaths. A further 40,149 workers were injured in heavy-equipment accidents that did not kill them.
Every death and injury since 2000 that US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) accident reports tie to a haul truck, loader, dozer, excavator, continuous miner or other heavy machine, counted from the equipment field of each report and refreshed weekly.
- Deaths since 2000
- 574
- involving heavy equipment
- Share of deaths
- 63%
- of 906 with a known equipment type
- 2016 to 2025
- 150
- deaths in the last ten full years
- Injuries since 2000
- 40,149
- non-fatal, every degree
Deaths by equipment type
2000 to September 23, 2026| Equipment | Deaths | Latest death |
|---|---|---|
| Haul trucks (off-highway) | 123 | July 6, 2026 |
| Front-end loaders | 78 | June 26, 2026 |
| Continuous miners | 57 | March 5, 2026 |
| Excavators, shovels and draglines | 55 | December 10, 2025 |
| Dozers | 50 | June 22, 2023 |
| Service and utility trucks | 45 | August 5, 2023 |
| Load-haul-dump (LHD) and scoops | 41 | April 3, 2026 |
| Cranes and boom trucks | 36 | May 8, 2024 |
| Shuttle cars | 25 | October 2, 2023 |
| Drill jumbos | 21 | March 12, 2026 |
| Haul trucks (on-highway) | 21 | July 12, 2025 |
| Forklifts and skid steers | 15 | September 3, 2026 |
| Scrapers | 4 | September 9, 2005 |
| Graders | 3 | May 28, 2015 |
Deaths count each person once. Injuries are non-fatal reports with an MSHA degree of injury from a medical-treatment case to a permanent disability; reports of an accident with no injury, occupational illnesses and injuries to non-employees are not counted. Hover an equipment type for the exact MSHA category it stands for.
Latest heavy equipment deaths
All recent fatalities- September 3, 2026 Forklifts and skid steers, Bald Mountain Mine (NV)
- July 6, 2026 Haul trucks (off-highway), Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc. (AZ)
- June 26, 2026 Front-end loaders, Leclaire Portable Crusher #2 (IA)
- May 20, 2026 Front-end loaders, Combs Branch Job (KY)
- April 3, 2026 Load-haul-dump (LHD) and scoops, OHIO COUNTY MINE (WV)
- March 12, 2026 Drill jumbos, Kennecott Keystone Underground (UT)
- March 5, 2026 Continuous miners, Deer Run Mine (IL)
- January 8, 2026 Haul trucks (off-highway), Hunter Cement Plant (TX)
- December 10, 2025 Excavators, shovels and draglines, Mid-Coast Aggregates LLC-Mazak Mine (FL)
- December 10, 2025 Excavators, shovels and draglines, Mid-Coast Aggregates LLC-Mazak Mine (FL)
Related records
- Powered haulage accidents, MSHA's classification for haul trucks, loaders and other moving equipment
- Machinery accidents, MSHA's classification for machines at work
- Fatalities by year for every cause, back to 1983
- Search haul truck deaths by the investigator's narrative
“Heavy equipment” here means these MSHA equipment categories: off-highway and on-highway haul trucks, front-end loaders, dozers, excavators, shovels and draglines, load-haul-dump machines and scoops, service and utility trucks, cranes and boom trucks, forklifts and skid steers, scrapers, graders, continuous miners, shuttle cars and drill jumbos. Each accident report names one equipment category, so a death counts under one type only. Records from 1983 to 1999 carry no equipment field and are not included; neither are reports filed with no equipment named. Deaths exclude a filing MSHA recorded twice for one death.
Citing this page: Mining Incidents, “Heavy equipment accidents in US mining,” MSHA accident records 2000 to September 23, 2026, miningincidents.org/heavy-equipment-accidents. Formats and permanence guarantees are on the citation page.