"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.

Below, you will find teaching materials and links to additional resources, as well as stories of fatal accidents such as drownings in flooded quarries and falls into hidden mine shafts. The list is not comprehensive, but provides vivid examples of the hazards and the heartbreak that can come with trespassing onto these abandoned industrial sites.

Throughout the year, "Stay Out-Stay Alive" partners visit schools, communities and youth organizations around the country to educate children about the importance of steering clear of active and abandoned mines.

For further information on the “Stay Out, Stay Alive (SOSA) program, please submit your question to "Ask MSHA".

To report unsafe public mine access, abandoned mine emergencies or abandoned mine locations, call the MSHA Hotline at:

Accident Summaries

• Fatal Accident Summaries (2014)


• Previous Fatal Accident Summaries
  (1999-2013)


• Previous "Near Miss" Incident Summaries
  (2004-2013)

AML Portal

Welcome to the AML Portal - a partnership that spans federal, state and local efforts, dedicated to raising awareness about abandoned mine lands. Click here for more information.

Additional Resources

• Materials for Students, Parents, and Educators
• Fact Sheet
• List of Campaign Partners
• From a Child's Perspective
• Slide Show Presentation for Classroom Instruction (2011)
  
  • PowerPoint^® Presentation
  • PDF Version
• MSHA Coal District 1 Poster Contest (2011)
  
  • Winners, Photos and Posters...
• Public Service Announcement
  from Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection
  
  • Television Spot
  • Radio Spot
• SOSA Event Photos - 2013 Events Now Online!
  - A collection of photos from SOSA events held around the country.