January 9, 191J. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 79 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A COMPARISON OF COALMINE ACCIDENTS * By Frederick W. Horton. Table A and fig. 1 show the number of fatalities in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries, from 1901 to 1911 inclusive. It will be noted that there were more persons killed by coalmine accidents in the United States than in either Great Table A- —Number killed in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries, 1901-11. Year. (1) United States. (2) Great Britain. (3) Ger- xnany.a (4) Japan. (5) France. (6) Bel- gium. (7) India. (8) Austna.n (9) New South Wales. 1901 1,549 1,075 956 180 198 157 .58 84 17 1902 1,895 1,005 818 135 ISO 144 59 72 105 1903 1,752 1,048 82Q 215 13 1904 2,004 1,034 808 189 184 129 55 1905 2,232 1,138 840 256 182 123 58 96 24 1906 2,116 1,116 924 1 280* 132 1907 3,197 1,216 1,206 1908 2,449 1,285 '1,490 245 186 155 164 59 21 1909 2,668 1,424 I 165 1910 2,840 1,754 LUO 307 213 136 160 65 21 Average, 1901-1910 2,270 1,210 1,017 309 302 - 142 91 71 27 1911 2,719 1,232 1,176 165 88 “Figures bused on fatalities in the bituminous and anthracite mines, fatalities in lignite mines not GErtfrANY KIGIUM A‘^TKiA AUSTRIA austh:a UNITED STATES JAPAN FRANCE AVERAGE 1901-10 AND ABOUT THE COAl MINES O? THE PRINCIPAL COAL PRODUCING COUNTRIES -90) >9)1 INCLUSIVE Fig. 1. Britain or Germany, combined with Japan, France, Belgium, Austria, India and New South Wales. How- ever, the number of fatalities in itself shows nothing in regard to the relative hazard of coalmining in the various countries, but is only of interest as showing the relative loss of life. Fig. 2 shows the average number killed in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries for the 10 years 1901 to 1910. The countries are listed COUNTRY. AVERAGE NUMBER EM- PLOYED. AVERAG 0 50 E NUM! 0 1,0( BER KILLED. 10 1,500 2,000 United States Great Britain Germany Japan France Belgium Jlndla Austria New South Wales 607,438 890,434 482,132 105,924 178,749 139,597 94,346 68,288 15,252 1,210 F*®™3® 1,017 309 tama 302 ksss 142 Us 91 I® 71 U 27 Fig. 2.—Average number killed in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries, 1901-11. in the order of the average number of persons killed, and it will be seen that this arrangement coincides with a classification according to the average number employed, except in the case of the United States and Japan. Table B shows the number of killed per 1,000 employed in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries from 1901 to 1911 inclusive, and the relative position in which the countries group themselves when classified on this basis. The rise and fall of the death rates in each of the countries is shown graphically in fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows the average number of persons killed per 1,000 employed in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries for the 10 years 1901 * From Bulletin 69, U.S. Bureau of Mines. to 1910. Comparisons on the basis of such a death rate may properly be made only in cases where the length of time the mines were in operation and the rate of production of coal per man in the coalfields under comparison are equal. For example, it would be mani- festly unfair to make a comparison of the risks of the coalmining industry in Belgium and the United States on this basis; first, because in Belgium the coalmines are operated about 80 days more than in the United Table B.—Number killed per 1,000 employed in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries, 1901-10 inclusive. Year. (1) India. (2) Bel- gium. (3) Austria.a G) Great Britain. (5) France. (6) New South Wales. (7) Ger- manya. (8) Japan. (9) United States. 1901 1902 0.68 66 84 67 .73 89 .87 1.37 1.09 .1-52 1.17 1.07 •1.14 .93 .91 .•95 1.03 1.07 .95 95 1.19 1.08 .74 .92 1.45 1.03 1.07 .86 1.07 .93 1.36 1.24 1.26 1.24 1.35 1.29 1.31 1.32 1.43 1.70 1.21 1 09 1.02 1.07 1.04 7.17 1.10 .95 1.17 1.08 1.39 8.19 93 85 1.71 1.41 1.00 1.18 .77 1.19 2.34 1.99 1.92 1.80 1.80 1.97 2.40 2.71 2.04 1.97 2.39 1.71 2.53 2.14 3.22 5.25 3.63 1.93 3.51 2.23 3.25 3.71 3.20 3.50 3.63 3.35 4.88 3.64 4.00 3.92 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907...: 1908 1909 1910 Average, 1901-1910 1911 96 1.02 L1T 1.04 1.26 1.36 ~ * 1.17 1.69 1.74 sir 2.11 2.00 2.92 3.74 3?73 a Figures based on fatalities in the bituminous and anthracite mines; fatalities in lignite mines not included. JAPAN GERMANY FRANCO _GREATBfflTAN_ ■ AUSTh’l* BELGIUM UNITED STATES Y Fig. 3. GREAT BRITAIN Country. Average number em- ployed. Average number of days mines were op- erated each year. Average production (short tons). Average fatality rate per 1,000 employed. Total Per day per man. Actual. On the basis of a year of 300 working days. On the basis of 'equal daily produc- tion per man.a United States 607,438 178,749 139,597 213 287 291 389,269,000 38,785,000 25,540.000 3.01 .76 L69 1.02 5.26 1.76 1 04 5 26 7 01 5 03 France Belgium a Calculated on the assumption that if each coal miner in output as each coal miner in the United States, the hazard portionately France and Belgium had made the same daily of the inddstry would have been increased pro- AVERAGE NUMBER KILLED PER 1,000 EMPLOYED COUNTRY United States. Japan. Germany Fig. 4.—Average number killed per 1,000 employed in and about the coalmines of the principal coal-producing countries, 1901-10, inclusive. YEAR. COUNTRY. 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 Average, 1901-1910 KILLED PER 1,000 EM- PLOYED. NUMBER KILLED PER LOGO EMPLOYED CALCULATED ON TxiE BASIS OF A YEAR OF 300 WORKING DAYS. 216 290 290 197 272 291 220 295 297 202 289 297 212 289 289 209 275 292 231 287 294 195 285 295 o225 295 299 220 290 298 213 287 294 4.51 1.25 1.21 5.65 1.20 1.10 4.36 1.03 1.15 5.19 1.11 .94 5.13 1.08 .95 4.81 7.83 .97 6.33 1.15 1.05 5.60 1.00 1.08 5.34 1.19 .95 5.34 1.12 95 5.26 1.76 1.04 3.71 1.09 1.07 3.20 1.02 1.14 3.50 1,07 .93 3.63 1.08 .91 13.35 7.17 .95 4.88 1.10 1.03 3.64 .95 1.07 4.00 1.17 .95 3.92 1.08 .95 3.74 1.69 1.02 (United States. { France_______ (Belgium_____ (United States. ■{France_______ (Belgium_____ ‘(United States. {France_______ (Belgium_____ (United States. •{France_______ (Belgium_____ (United States. {France_______ (Belgium_____ (United States. {France_______ (Belgium...... [United States. {France_______ (Belgium_____ (United States. {France_______ (Belgium_____ (United States. {France_______ (Belgium_____ [United States. {France________ (Belgium_____ [United States. {France________ (Belgium______ NUMBER NUMBER OF DAYS ------ ACTU- ALLY WORKED. a Estimated Fig. 5.—Number killed per l,000Zemployed in and about the^coalniinesZof the]United_States, France and Belgium, States, which means that the Belgian miner is exposed to risk for that much longer period, and, second, because the coalminer in the United States produces about five times as much coal in a day as the Belgian miner, and, on account of his greater speed of work, is subjected to a greater risk. It is evident that the death rate per 1,000 employed can be corrected to take into account the time of operation, because the risk varies directly with the time of exposure to such risk. It is, however, impossible to apply such a correction to cover the rate of production, for although the risk varies with the speed of work, it evidently does not vary directly in proportion to it. In any given coalfield or in any two coalfields having identical physical conditions—that is, the same thickness of coalseams, the same depth of seams below the surface, similar roof, and the same conditions regarding gas, &c. —the risk of coalmining would vary almost directly with the average output of coal per day per man. In making a comparison between coalfields where the physical conditions are not identical, however, the comparative risk does not vary directly with the rate of production. But it is evident that the rate of production is an important element in determining the relative risk of coalmining, and that it should be taken into con- sideration. The United States, France and Belgium are the only large coal-producing countries for which official figures are available as to the number of days the coalmines Table C. — Average production, number employed, number of days worked, and fatality rates per 1,000 employed in the coalmines of the United States, France and Belgium for the 10 years 1901-10. were in actual operation. The influence that a correction for the duration of exposure to risk has on the fatality rate per 1,000 employed is set forth in fig. 5. Of course, such a comparison emphasises the relatively high death rate per 1,000. employed in and about the coalmines of the United States; lout it must be remembered that the corrected rates do not in any way take into account the daily production of coal per man, which is enor- mously greater in the United States than in either France or Belgium, and do not as nearly illustrate the relative risks of coalmining in the three countries as the original rates did. Table C shows the average production, number employed, number of days worked, and fatality rates per 1,000 employed in and about the coalmines of the United States, France and Belgium for the 10 years 1901 to 1910. The death rates in the last column of the table have been calculated on the assumption that if each coalminer in France and Belgium had made the same daily output as each coalminer in the United States, the hazard of the industry would have been increased proportionately. Of course, this assumption is not true, because the physical conditions in the coalmines of France and Belgium do not even approximate those in the United States, and the correction that has been applied is without doubt too large. However, the figures are submitted for what they are worth. Table D and figs. 6 and 7 show the number killed per 1,000,000 short tons of coal mined in the principal coal-producing countries from 1901 to 1911 inclusive’