Mining Incidents

Robert C Ratliff: 1 recorded fatality controller

MSHA controller ID: C12056

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
4
Mines on record
2
Years on record
1992–2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
196
citations
104
significant & substantial
$557,330
proposed penalties
$10,070
paid to date
2% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $547,260 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2000
71
inspections on record
1,777
inspection hours
11.0
citations per 100 inspection hours
This rate is recorded citations divided by MSHA inspection hours, per 100 hours. It reflects inspection effort, not mine size or production.
196 citations across 1,777 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Penalty disposition
Differences between proposed and paid penalties reflect both settlements and conference reductions and amounts still owed. Outstanding is the balance currently owed.
$557K
proposed penalties
$557K
current assessed
$10K
paid to date
$547K
outstanding
192 assessments are final orders; 1 contested dockets.
Of $5K in penalties contested before the Commission, $4K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2004-03-25.
Source: MSHA assessed-violations and conference/litigation data, updated weekly.
Violation severity profile
Shares are computed over citations that carry the MSHA gravity and negligence coding; a small share of records are uncoded.
54.2%
significant & substantial
37.0%
high negligence or reckless
54.2%
reasonably likely or greater
27.1%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 11.5% low, 51.6% moderate, 24.5% high, 12.5% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
Injury rate, 2001
This rate is reportable injury cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers per year, computed as 200,000 times cases divided by MSHA operator-reported employee-hours. Cases are injuries MSHA graded degree 01 through 07; accident-only events that hurt no one are excluded, and so are contractor injuries, whose hours do not attach to a single mine. Rates begin in 2000, when quarterly employment reporting starts, and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year.
0.00
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
No reportable injury cases in any year shown. Employee-hours were reported in each of those years, so these are true zeros rather than missing data. Citations, listed in the compliance record above, are inspector-found violations and are counted separately from worker injuries.
Below average. The US coal mining average was 6.94 and the all-US-mining average was 5.26 cases per 100 workers.
Under 100,000 employee-hours were reported that year, so a single case moves the rate by two or more. Read the figure as approximate.
Year total case rate days-away fatal
2001 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
2000 * 0.00 0.00 0.000
* Fewer than 100,000 employee-hours that year; the rate is less stable.
Source: injury cases from MSHA accident and injury records; employee-hours from MSHA quarterly employment reports. Rate is cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers, operator employees only.
Health sampling
A sample is a point in time compliance measurement, not an individual exposure history. These figures describe MSHA sampling records and do not establish causation or personal dose.

Respirable coal dust
Respirable coal dust and silica figures cover coal facilities. Dust compliance is measured against the current 1.5 mg/m3 standard; samples predating the 2014 standard are included, so compliance rates are a coarse historical signal.

Last sampled: 2003-05-30, 23 years ago
92%
within 1.5 mg/m3
244
samples
6.17
dust max (mg/m3)
105 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 139 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR108
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR26
  • BLASTER/SHOOTER/SHOTFIRER14

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2003-02-05, 23 years ago
5.7
silica avg (%)
26
samples
8.6
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR12

Noise
The share counts noise samples whose measured dose exceeded the 90 dBA permissible exposure limit. It describes the sampled workplace, not what reached the miner's ear: hearing conservation programs and the hearing protection worn during the shift are recorded separately and are not reflected here.

Last sampled: 2003-01-07, 23 years ago
0%
over PEL
9
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR4
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR2
  • ROOF BOLTER (SINGLE HEAD)2
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.
Contested penalties
A reduction or dismissal at the Commission is a lawful outcome of contesting a proposed penalty. Figures are the proposed amount and the amount upheld in the docket's decision.
Largest penalties this controller contested before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, with the outcome on record.
Docket Decision Judge Year Proposed / upheld
KENT20020309 Settlement Feldman 2003 $5K → $4K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

Top causes

Incident timeline

2003
3 (1f)
1992
1

Operators under this controller

Mines on record

Fatalities under this controller

1 recorded
June 13, 2003 KY · Coal drill helper Fatality · EXPLOSIVES AND BREAKING AGENTS
Cody Mining Company Inc · Struck by flying object

AT 12:30 PM A RIGHT BREAK OFF THE #4 ENTRY SHOT OUT THROUGH AN EXISTING HOLE IN THE RIB OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SHOT INTO THE PARALLEL BREAK, SHOOTING COAL ONTO THE DRILL OPERATOR, DRILL HELP ER AND SHOT FIRER.

For insurers, brokers, and safety consultants

Where Robert C Ratliff stands on silica, penalties, and injury rate

MSHA's standard limits respirable silica to 50 micrograms per cubic metre, but MSHA publishes dust and quartz as separate files and never the silica figure itself. We derive it per sample, score it against the limit, and set the operator's injury rate against a benchmark built from the full MSHA operator record. With the 26-year penalty trail, contest posture, and fatality history. Delivered as a PDF with the underlying data as CSV.

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