Trace Branch Splint Mine has had no fatalities among 4 reportable incidents since 2025. MSHA has proposed $7K in penalties since 2025, with $2K outstanding.
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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.
48 citations across 1,564 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.
Trace Branch Splint Mine has $7K in proposed MSHA penalties and $2K 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.
$7K
proposed penalties
$7K
current assessed
$5K
paid to date
$2K
outstanding
27 assessments are final orders; 0 contested dockets.
As of the most recent assessment on 2026-08-11.
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.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
MSHA sampling at Trace Branch Splint Mine shows 99% of 413 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: 2026-10-21
99%
within 1.5 mg/m3
413
samples
1.90
dust max (mg/m3)
2
over MSHA ECV
ⓘThe excessive concentration value (ECV) is MSHA's own per-sample enforcement threshold, which builds in measurement uncertainty; a sample over its ECV can trigger a citation. The count covers only samples MSHA assigned an ECV.
62 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 351 by the operator.
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.
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.
Trace Branch Splint Mine recorded 4.81 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2025.
Injury rate, 2025
ⓘ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 and are withheld below 20,000 hours in a year. Employment reports reach back to 1983, but those earlier years come from MSHA's archived file format and are not used in rates.
4.81
total case rate
0.00
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.19 and the all-US-mining average was 1.98 cases per 100 workers.
In Kentucky, coal mining averaged 4.08 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.
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)
2026
55
100,975
2025
20
60,135
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly; years before 2000 come from MSHA's archived Part 50 employment files.
Trace Branch Splint Mine sits in Harlan County, Kentucky, where the Census mining category is 4.3% 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.
Harlan County, Kentucky · Population 26,185
4.3%
Mining share of county employment
$37,198
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; earlier incidents are counted but not rate-adjusted, though reported hours reach back to 1983. 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
2026 Q2
38,894
5
1
128.6
2026 Q1
33,795
16
1
473.4
2025 Q4
28,070
4
1
142.5
2025 Q3
7,197
0
0
0.0
2025 Q2
5,852
1
0
170.9
2025 Q1
480
0
0
0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.
Reportable incidents
4 on file
2026 · 3 incidents
September 23, 2026KY · Coalbull gang foreman, labor foreman, leadman, section foreman, shift bossPOWERED HAULAGE
EE was located in an intersection when EE was struck by a battery-powered scoop. Following the incident, EE was immediately transported to the surface. EE sustained a posterior dislocation of the left hip with a fracture of the femur ball socket.
September 22, 2026KY · Coalroof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs)HANDLING OF MATERIALS
The employee was removing a chain from the continuous miner trailing cable when the cable coupler (cathead) slid from the top of the power center, inadvertently striking the employee in the face. After being struck by the cable coupler, the employee received two broken teeth and chipped another. * Note: The two teeth that were broken were already implanted. (False teeth) *
Employee was making a splice in a 480V trailing cable, whenever EE's knife slipped from the jacket of the splice, resulting in a small laceration in EE's right hand.
Employee was checking a water pump and lost balance and put a hand down to catch themselves on the pump. The pump was sitting in a wire cage, and the wire cut their right pinky finger. The laceration required two stitches to close the wound.
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