Abstract

McLintock, J. S. (1971). Brit. J. industr. Med., 28, 45-51. The selection of juvenile entrants to mining. In 1961/62 a special anthropometric study was made of 1 455 young persons entering the coal-mining industry in six mining areas. Five years later a check was made to find those who had left and those who remained.

The average height (166·27 cm), sitting height (88·01 cm), and weight (55·0 kg) of those who continued in mining did not differ significantly from those of the leavers, and corresponded with published data on non-miners of the same age; but there were distinct regional differences in these mean figures.

When comparing the other anthropometric factors of the `stayers' and `leavers', the former had significantly lower figures for upper arm girth (243·5 mm), peak flow rate (410·9 litres), strength (100·7 kg), genital development, and pubic hair. Nevertheless there were such regional differences that caution is required when extending conclusions in biological studies from one coal field to the industry as a whole.