Mining Incidents

#1: 1 recorded fatality Coal

Cody Mining Company Inc · Underground
Controlled by Robert C Ratliff
McDowell, Floyd County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1517373

#1 has $557K in proposed MSHA penalties and $547K outstanding across 1 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
1
Total incidents
4
Years on record
1994–2003
Latest incident
Jun 2003
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2000
196
citations
105
significant & substantial
$557,420
proposed penalties
$10,160
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
69
inspections on record
1,771
inspection hours
11.1
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 1,771 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

#1 has $557K in proposed MSHA penalties and $547K outstanding across 1 contested dockets.

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
193 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.
54.4%
significant & substantial
36.8%
high negligence or reckless
54.4%
reasonably likely or greater
27.5%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 11.4% low, 51.8% moderate, 24.4% high, 12.4% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, 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 mine 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.

MSHA sampling at #1 shows 92% of 244 respirable coal dust samples met the 1.5 mg/m3 standard.

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.
Health sampling trend
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 by year
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.
Year within 1.5 mg/m3 samples
2003 100% 22
2002 85% 59
2001 99% 82
2000 88% 81
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2003 0.7 1
2002 5.2 7
2001 6.1 13
2000 6.3 5
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2003 0% 4
2002 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

#1 recorded 0.00 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2001.

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.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 7.69 cases per 100 workers that year.
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.
Ownership history
  1. Hood'S Fork Mining Inc 1993 to 1997
  2. Cody Mining Company Inc 1997 to present
Source: MSHA controller and operator history, updated weekly.
Workforce and production
Coal production is reported quarterly and lags the current period; the most recent quarters may be incomplete.
Year Employees Coal produced (tons)
2004 0
2003 5 18,299
2002 12 38,319
2001 13 54,560
2000 15 65,268
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

#1 sits in Floyd County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.4% of county employment.

Local economic context
County figures come from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, 5-year pooled estimates, so the 2023 vintage covers 2019 through 2023. The Census category is 'mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction', which is broader than MSHA jurisdiction and includes oil and gas workers no mine employs. These figures describe the surrounding county, not this mine, and are not a factor in any specific incident.
Floyd County, Kentucky · Population 35,342
4.4%
Mining share of county employment
$41,582
Median household income
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 5-year estimates.
Quarterly safety rates
Citations per million reported employee-hours. Rates begin in 2000, when MSHA's quarterly employment data starts; earlier incidents are counted but cannot be rate-adjusted. Quarters under 100,000 reported hours are greyed: too few hours for a stable rate.
Citations per million employee-hours, as reported to MSHA
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2004 Q3 0 0 0
2004 Q2 0 2 0
2004 Q1 0 3 2
2003 Q4 0 72 60
2003 Q3 0 0 0
2003 Q2 3,581 6 2 1675.5
2003 Q1 4,210 4 0 950.1
2002 Q4 4,070 5 0 1228.5
Show 11 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2002 Q3 2,575 0 0 0.0
2002 Q2 5,459 6 2 1099.1
2002 Q1 5,492 5 0 910.4
2001 Q4 5,937 5 0 842.2
2001 Q3 6,281 9 2 1432.9
2001 Q2 6,184 10 3 1617.1
2001 Q1 6,647 26 13 3911.5
2000 Q4 7,000 22 7 3142.9
2000 Q3 7,457 10 6 1341.0
2000 Q2 7,648 7 5 915.3
2000 Q1 8,692 3 2 345.1

Fatalities at this mine

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.

Reportable incidents

3 on file (excluding fatalities above)

2003 · 2 incidents

June 13, 2003 KY · Coal blaster, shooter, shotfirer, explosive worker, powder gang/monkey

AT 12:30 PM A RIGHT BREAK OFF THE #4 ENTRY SHOT OUT THROUGH AND EXISTING HOLE OR DUCKS NEST INTO A BREAK RUNNING PARALLEL TO, SHOOTING COAL ONTO THE SHOT FIRER.

June 13, 2003 KY · Coal driller operator

AT 12:30 PM A RIGHT BREAK OFF THE #4 ENTRY SHOT OUT THROUGH A EXISTING WHOLE OR A DUCKS NEST INTO A BREAK RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE BREAK BEING SHOT.

1994 · 1 incident

March 3, 1994 KY · Coal scoop car operator POWERED HAULAGE
Hood'S Fork Mining Inc · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

SCOOP DRIVER WAS LEAVING THE DUMP WHEN HE GOT TOO CLOSE TO THE RIB & CAUGHT HIS HEAD.