MSHA inspector Danny Pack with third-graders at Hardy Elementary School in Hardy, KY, where he explained the dangers of abandoned mines at the school coal fair.
About the Campaign
Stay Out – Stay Alive is a national public awareness campaign aimed at warning children and adults about the dangers of exploring and playing on active and abandoned mine sites. Launched by MSHA in 1999, the campaign is a partnership of federal and state agencies, private organizations, businesses and individuals.
Each year, dozens of people are injured or killed in recreational accidents at abandoned quarries, mines and pits. Through the Stay Out – Stay Alive campaign, MSHA and its partners visit schools, communities and youth organizations around the country to educate children, adults and communities at large about the hidden hazards that await the unsuspecting hiker, off-roader or swimmer.
View the Stay Out – Stay Alive Fact Sheet to learn more.
Contact Information
For further information on the Stay Out - Stay Alive program, please contact us at AskMSHA@dol.gov.
To report unsafe public mine access, abandoned mine emergencies or abandoned mine locations, call the MSHA Hotline at: (800) 746-1553
Recent Accidents
View recent fatal and non-fatal accidents
- Below is a sampling of recent fatal and non-fatal accidents that occurred at active and abandoned mine properties in the US. This is not a comprehensive list of all accidents that have occurred, but rather a representative sample to illustrate how dangerous these properties can be. Remember: Stay Out – Stay Alive.
Stay Out – Stay Alive Archived Materials
- Accident Summaries
- Events, Presentations and Videos