Occupational Health and Safety Regulation in the Coal Mining Industry: Public Health at the Workplace (Subscription Required)

By James L. Weeks. Annual Review of Public Health. 1991.

This paper looks at the mine health and safety regulatory structure following the significant reforms passed in 1969 and 1977. The author finds that they have been successful in their core mission: "These measures have been effective in reducing both risk of fatal injury and exposure to respirable coal mine dust. " At first, strengthened safety standards appear to have come at the cost of heightened productivity. In later years the trend evened out.