ABSTRACT
Occupational health and safety issues have long been a concern in the mining industry, predominantly in underground mines. The National Institute of Occupational Health, in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre, Canada, conducted a study to discover the rates of pneumoconiosis and other respiratory morbidities among coal miners in India. The life span of mining consists of mineral exploration, underground or opencast mine development, mine operation, mine closure, and land rehabilitation. A common health hazard in coal and metal mines is mainly due to dust. Almost every operation in a mine, such as blasting, drilling, excavating, loading, tipping, transporting, crushing, conveying and screening, stockpiling, and cleaning and maintaining fixed and mobile plants, produces dust. The effects of vibration on human health progress slowly based on the duration of exposure, general health, the age of the operator, and the susceptibility of the individual.
