From January 1 to March 31, eight miners died in accidents in the US mining industry.

Three were killed in coal mining accidents and five in metal and non-metal mining accidents.

The previous quarter marked 15 deaths and an increase in the metal and non-metal sector.

“We have seen a spike in deaths in the second quarter of 2014 as well, primarily in metal and non-metal mining, which has experienced 19 fatalities since last October,” MSHA assistant secretary Joseph A Main said.

“MSHA takes this increase very seriously and has called a summit of the key metal and non-metal stakeholders to identify the problem and take actions to reverse it.”

In coal mining, two miners were killed in machinery accidents: a 24-year-old continuous mining machine operator died after he was pinned between machinery and the coal rib, and a 41-year-old trainee mechanic died while working on a belt conveyor feeder after he was pinned between the crawler track and the frame of the feeder.

A third coal mining victim, a 20-year-old labourer, died in a powered haulage accident when he was struck by a feeder.

“Mine operators need to re-evaluate the quality of the training miners are receiving and their examinations of miners’ work places because they appear to be lacking,” Main said.

“MSHA will be paying close attention to these deficiencies, as well as the types of hazards and conditions that have led to these deaths, during mine inspections.”