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#2: 556 MSHA citations Coal

GRUNDY, Buchanan County, VA  ·  Abandoned and Sealed
MSHA Mine ID: 4407179

#2 has $485K in proposed MSHA penalties and $351K outstanding across 31 contested dockets, plus health sampling and the full incident record.

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Fatalities
0
Total incidents
11
Years on record
2007–2010
Latest incident
Oct 2010
Compliance record
MSHA citations since 2006
556
citations
142
significant & substantial
$484,874
proposed penalties
$123,698
paid to date
26% of proposed penalties paid to date, a $361,176 gap.
Source: MSHA violations data, updated weekly.
See Tech Leasing & Rebuild, LLC's full MSHA compliance history →
Inspection activity
MSHA inspections since 2006
62
inspections on record
3,000
inspection hours
18.5
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.
556 citations across 3,000 inspection hours.
Source: MSHA inspections data, updated weekly.

#2 has $485K in proposed MSHA penalties and $351K outstanding across 31 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.
$485K
proposed penalties
$475K
current assessed
$124K
paid to date
$351K
outstanding
543 assessments are final orders; 31 contested dockets.
Of $418K in penalties contested before the Commission, $407K was upheld in final decisions.
As of the most recent assessment on 2010-11-02.
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.
26.2%
significant & substantial
5.0%
high negligence or reckless
26.0%
reasonably likely or greater
6.6%
permanently disabling or fatal if injury occurs
Negligence coding: 0.4% none, 20.6% low, 74.0% moderate, 4.4% high, 0.6% reckless.
Source: MSHA violations gravity and negligence coding, updated weekly.
When citations were contested
ⓘ Contesting a citation before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission is a lawful right. These figures state the public outcomes of that process, from MSHA's Contested Violations file.
355 citations taken to the federal commission · 64% of citations on record
  • Settled 219 · 62%
  • Stood as issued 135 · 38%
  • Vacated or withdrawn 1 · 0%
99%
S&S designation survived the contest
ⓘ Counts a Significant & Substantial citation as surviving when a settlement or judge's decision kept the designation, or the contest was dismissed or defaulted so the citation stands as issued. Vacated and withdrawn citations, and settlements that removed the designation, count against.
of 100 decided S&S contests · industry: 79%
2%
Penalty reduction in decided contests
$447K proposed, $436K after decisions · industry: 39%
Source: MSHA Contested Violations file (public record), updated weekly. A dismissed or defaulted contest leaves the citation standing as issued; a vacated or withdrawn citation is removed from the violation record. Latest contest filed 2012-03-29.
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
VA 2011-555 Settlement Lesnick 2014 $250K → $250K
VA 2011-347 Dismissal Rae 2012 $52K → $52K
VA 2011-346 Settlement Rae 2012 $17K → $17K
VA 2009-440 Default Lewis 2012 $17K → $17K
VA 2011-175 Dismissal Gilbert 2012 $14K → $14K
VA 2010-311 Settlement Koutras 2011 $10K → $8K
Source: FMSHRC civil penalty dockets and decisions (public record), updated weekly.

MSHA sampling at #2 shows 98% of 267 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: 2010-10-14, 15 years ago
98%
within 1.5 mg/m3
267
samples
13.45
dust max (mg/m3)
122 samples taken by MSHA inspectors, 145 by the operator.
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR139
  • MOBILE BRIDGE OPERATOR20
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)16

Silica (quartz)

Last sampled: 2010-03-05, 16 years ago
5.4
silica avg (%)
7
samples
8.2
silica max (%)
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR2
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: 2010-10-08, 15 years ago
3%
over PEL
34
samples
Most-sampled occupations
  • CONTINUOUS MINER OPERATOR6
  • MOBILE BRIDGE OPERATOR6
  • ROOF BOLTER (TWIN HEAD) (INTAKE SIDE)6
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
2010 98% 52
2009 98% 90
2008 100% 65
2007 94% 53
2006 100% 7
Silica (quartz) by year
Year silica avg (%) samples
2010 2.9 3
2009 7.0 2
2007 7.5 2
Noise by year
Year over PEL samples
2010 0% 5
2009 0% 13
2008 9% 11
2007 0% 5
Source: MSHA respirable dust, quartz, and noise sampling records, updated weekly.

#2 recorded 14.19 reportable injury cases per 100 full-time workers in 2010.

Injury rate, 2010
ⓘ 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.
14.19
total case rate
14.19
days-away rate
0.000
fatality rate
Above average. The US coal mining average was 3.96 and the all-US-mining average was 3.20 cases per 100 workers.
In Virginia, coal mining averaged 4.29 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
2010 * 14.19 14.19 0.000
2009 * 6.23 6.23 0.000
2008 * 12.93 6.46 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. Surface Minerals Company 2006 to 2006
  2. Tech Leasing & Rebuild, LLC 2006 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)
2010 15 48,386
2009 15 60,018
2008 24 89,401
2007 20 71,624
2006 5 618
Source: MSHA quarterly employment and production, updated weekly.

#2 sits in Buchanan County, Virginia, where the Census mining category is 11.2% 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.
Buchanan County, Virginia · Population 19,857
11.2%
Mining share of county employment
$42,216
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
2010 Q4 4,284 19 5 4435.1
2010 Q3 8,631 41 23 4750.3
2010 Q2 8,886 17 8 1913.1
2010 Q1 6,392 50 11 7822.3
2009 Q4 7,228 44 8 6087.4
2009 Q3 6,823 81 10 11871.6
2009 Q2 9,660 64 12 6625.3
2009 Q1 8,417 23 2 2732.6
Show 9 earlier quarters
Quarter Hours worked Citations S&S Per 1M hrs
2008 Q4 7,161 15 3 2094.7
2008 Q3 7,185 16 3 2226.9
2008 Q2 8,843 17 4 1922.4
2008 Q1 7,754 31 8 3997.9
2007 Q4 7,928 45 17 5676.1
2007 Q3 5,847 22 5 3762.6
2007 Q2 1,554 32 10 20592.0
2007 Q1 4,213 15 3 3560.4
2006 Q3 308 0 0 0.0
No fatalities recorded at this mine.

Reportable incidents

11 on file

2010 · 6 incidents

June 30, 2010 VA · Coal shuttle car operator, mantrip operator, ramcar operator, rail runner, buggy operator HANDLING OF MATERIALS
Tech Leasing & Rebuild, LLC · Struck by falling object

Jack set to change tire mantrip fell on victim's hand. Victim changing tire on mantrip and let the jack down with his hand under the ride.

June 4, 2010 VA · Coal maintenance man, mechanic, repair/serviceman, boilermaker, fueler, tire tech, field service tech POWERED HAULAGE
Tech Leasing & Rebuild, LLC · Struck against stationary object

The employee was driving permissible man trip - hit an idle tail piece and lost control and was thrown from man trip.

2009 · 1 incident

2008 · 2 incidents

June 21, 2008 VA · Coal roof bolter, rock bolter, pinner, mobile roof support operator (mrs) MACHINERY
Tech Leasing & Rebuild, LLC · Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Injury of victim's finger due to placing hand on top of drill head of bolter.

2007 · 2 incidents

May 4, 2007 VA · Coal laborer, bull gang, parts runner, roustabout, roof trimmer/scaler SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON
Tech Leasing & Rebuild, LLC · Fall onto or against objects

EE a general laborer was helping move a mining machine when the cable that was hanging from the top fell on his back & neck knocking him against the rib.

April 16, 2007 VA · Coal INUNDATION
Tech Leasing & Rebuild, LLC · Accident type, without injuries

Heavy rain flooded section of mine covering bolter and shuttle car with water. No reportable injuries.