MSHA said Kansas City Chiefs runningback Thomas Jones would be the spokesperson for the public safety campaign for the second year in a row.

The campaign was established in 1999 to warn outdoor enthusiasts, especially children, about hazards at active and abandoned mining operations.

According to federal data, dozens of people in the US are injured or killed in accidents because of recreational activities at active and abandoned mines around the US.

Jones held a media conference last Friday to kick off the effort and also visited a Maryland elementary school to address students on mine property dangers.

Last year Jones, who was raised in the coalfields region of southwestern Virginia, recorded a series of audio and video public service announcements that describe the hidden dangers that exist at abandoned mines and quarries.

"Both my parents were coal miners, and they instilled in me a respect for the hazards they often encountered while working underground," Jones said.

"If you haven't been properly trained as a miner, you have no business being anywhere near a quarry, gravel pit or mine."

Drowning is the most common cause of death by far, according to federal statistics, accounting for three out of five deaths over the last decade.

Nearly half of all drowning victims were between 15 and 25 years old.

“Abandoned water-filled quarries harbor slippery slopes and unstable rock ledges,” the agency said in 2010.

“The water can conceal old machinery and sharp objects left behind after a mining operation closes. Even expert swimmers may encounter trouble in the dangerously cold and deceptively deep waters.”

Old surface sites are popular destinations for all-terrain vehicles and motorcyclists. However, abandoned mines often contain hills of loose materials or refuse heaps that can easily collapse and cause deadly rollovers.

Underground workings are another serious hazard, as sites can have hidden shafts, flooded or airless sections, or deadly gases.

Tunnels are susceptible to cave-ins and there is a potential for unused or misfired explosives to be set off by even the slightest disturbance or touch.

The agency has made the public service announcements and other resources for Stay Out-Stay Alive available on its web site.