In occupations under the heading miner during evaluation of disorders caused by physical factors (in the sense of items 6-10 chapter II appendix of Government regulation 290/95) as a rule trespassing of permissible limits of exposure is assumed. The term miner includes, however, in the wider sense of the word all occupations associated with the mining of mineral resources. In the majority of these occupations exposure to beyond-limit vibrations and overburdening of the upper extremities is rule out. Miners in the narrower sense of the word – quarry men, breakers, diggers – work under specific conditions depending on a group of factors:1. geological and mining factors; 2. technological factors; 3. organizational, economic and social factors. This is why in these occupations exposure to overburdening and excessive vibrations acting on the upper extremities is more or less individual. In the interest of objectivity every case must be assessed individually based on the maximum of available information. There is a general tendency to overestimate the actual burdening with physical factors in mining occupations.

        Key words: mining, physical factors, occupational diseases