Mining Incidents
Search Operators Mines Alerts Research Controllers Fatalgrams About
English Español
← Back to search

#12: 52 MSHA citations Coal

Viper Coal LLC · Underground
Controlled by Bee Handshoe
Eastern, Floyd County, KY  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 1515735

#12 has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $127 outstanding across 0 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

Watch this mine

Email me when a new MSHA incident is filed at #12.

Fatalities
0
Total incidents
3
Years on record
1986–2008
Latest incident
Oct 2008
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2007
52
citations
21
significant & substantial
$9,175
proposed penalties
$9,048
paid to date
99% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $127 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Viper Coal LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2007
19
inspections on record
432
inspection hours
n/a
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.
Rate withheld: 432 inspection hours is too few for a stable rate. A minimum of 1,000 inspection hours is required.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

#12 has $9K in proposed MSHA penalties and $127 outstanding across 0 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.
$9K
proposed penalties
$9K
current assessed
$9K
paid to date
$127
outstanding
51 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2009-01-20.
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.
41.2%
significant & substantial
2.0%
high negligence or reckless
41.2%
reasonably likely or greater
5.9%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.0% none, 7.8% low, 90.2% moderate, 2.0% high, 0.0% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at #12 shows 88% of 42 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: 2009-02-06, 17 years ago
88%
within 1.5 mg/m3
42
samples
3.02
dust max (mg/m3)
19 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 23 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CUTTING MACHINE OPERATOR25
  • SCOOP CAR OPERATOR6
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR3

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2008-12-17, 17 years ago
2.0
silica avg (%)
3
samples
2.4
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CUTTING MACHINE OPERATOR3
See US coal mines ranked by silica in their dust samples.

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: 2008-06-26, 18 years ago
0%
over PEL
5
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • BLASTER/SHOOTER/SHOTFIRER1
  • COAL DRILL OPERATOR1
  • CUTTING MACHINE OPERATOR1
See US mines ranked by noise samples over the legal limit.
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
2009 80% 5
2008 89% 37
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

#12 recorded 9.12 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2008.

Injury rate, 2008
ⓘ 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.
9.12
total case rate
4.56
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 4.41 and the all-US-mining average was 3.61 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.87 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.
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. Little Morgan Coal Company Inc 1986 to 2007
  2. Goose Creek Energy Inc 2007 to 2008
  3. B & K Coal Inc 2008 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)
2009 3 15,640
2008 25 113,361
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

#12 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
2009 Q4 0 0 0
2009 Q2 0 0 0
2009 Q1 1,137 1 0 879.5
2008 Q4 18,499 20 10 1081.1
2008 Q3 15,806 17 7 1075.5
2008 Q2 9,534 13 3 1363.5
2008 Q1 0 0 0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

3 on file

2008 · 2 incidents

October 8, 2008 KY · Coal electrician, lineman POWERED HAULAGE
B & K Coal Inc · Struck by falling object

Took hose off scoop jack and scoop fell on right foot. No lost time. Placed in cast on 10-30-08.

July 16, 2008 KY · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) MACHINERY
B & K Coal Inc · Caught in, under or between (Not Elsewhere Classified)

Emptying dust box and drill cable caught left foot, twisting left knee (drill being operated by a co-worker).

1986 · 1 incident